Wednesday, November 16, 2005
UNISYS Enhanced Infrared Satellite 12 hour loop - "Click On"
November 16, 2005. 2330z. The current aire masses over the USA. The east coast looks clear so far of severe storms. The heat is over northern Canada. However, the heat that was concentrated near Alaska is now decending to the mid-continent. It is far cooler than the ascending aire masse to Canada. The morale is the meterologists have a concern still.
Morning Papers - It's Origins
Rooster "Cock-A-Doodle-Do"
"Okeydoke"
History
Today is Wednesday, Nov. 16, the 320th day of 2005. There are 45 days left in the year.
1776, British troops captured Fort Washington during the American Revolution.
1864, Union Gen. William T. Sherman and his troops began their "March to the Sea" during the Civil War.
1873 W.C. Handy, Father of the Blues, is born in Florence, AL. He will compose numerous hits such as "St. Louis Blues" and "Memphis Blues".
1933, the United States and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations.
1941 Composer and organist Edward Margetson is honored by the Schubert Music Society at the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
1959, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The Sound of Music" opened on Broadway.
1973, Skylab 3, carrying a crew of three astronauts, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on an 84-day mission.
1973, President Nixon signed the Alaska Pipeline measure into law.
1981 Pam Johnson is named publisher of the Ithaca Journal (NY), becoming the first Black woman to run a daily newspaper
1982, an agreement was announced in the 57th day of a strike by National Football League players.
2000 Coca Cola settles race discrimination case to approximately 2,000 African American workers for $193 million in compensation. This is the biggest settlement in the history of USA Coca Cola.
2000 Civil Rights activist Hosea Williams dies from prostate cancer at the Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, GA. He was a top lieutenant to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who continued the battle for civil rights long after King's death.
Ten years ago: Refusing to yield, President Clinton threatened anew to veto the latest Republican offer to end a three-day partial government shutdown; Democrats savaged House Speaker Newt Gingrich for claiming Clinton had snubbed him recently aboard Air Force One.
Attorney General Janet Reno disclosed she had Parkinson's disease.
Five years ago: Al Gore won a legal fight to expand manual recounts as he struggled to trim George W. Bush's 300-vote lead in Florida's presidential race.
President Clinton began a visit to Vietnam.
Civil rights activist Hosea Williams died in Atlanta at age 74.
One year ago: President Bush picked National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to be his new secretary of state, succeeding Colin Powell.
Al-Jazeera television said it had received a video showing a hooded militant shooting a blindfolded woman in the head; it's believed the woman was kidnapped aid worker Margaret Hassan.
Sunni Muslims in Iraq expressed anger over videotape showing the fatal shooting of a wounded and apparently unarmed man in a Fallujah mosque by a U.S. Marine.
Missing in Action
1965 GREEN DONALD GEORGE BALDWIN PARK CA
1966 PITTMANN ALAN D. SHELBY IA "MULTIPLE SPELLINGS -- ON WALL AS ""PIITTMANN""" ALSO USG LISTS AS ALLAN PITTMAN REFNO 0524
1967 SCHULZ PAUL H. EIRE PA 03/14/73 RELEASED / HELI TO HANOI ALIVE AND WELL 98
1968 COPLEY WILLIAM M. NORTHRIDGE CA
1968 KARST CARL F. GALATIA KS REMAINS RETURNED APRIL 1994
1968 WIECHERT ROBERT CHARLES WEST JORDAN UT
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Tentative deal on Patriot Act, sources say
By LAURIE KELLMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- House and Senate negotiators struck a tentative deal on the expiring Patriot Act that would curb FBI subpoena power and require the Justice Department to more fully report its secret requests for information about ordinary people, according to officials involved in the talks.
The agreement, which would make most provisions of the existing law permanent, was reached just before dawn Wednesday. But by midmorning GOP leaders had already made plans for a House vote on Thursday and a Senate vote by the end of the week. That would put the centerpiece of President Bush's war on terror on his desk before Thanksgiving, a month before more than a dozen provisions were set to expire.
Officials negotiating the deal described it on condition of anonymity because the draft is not official and has not been signed by any of the 34 conferees.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1153AP_Patriot_Act.html
Government gives orcas a shield
Puget Sound's 'local' whales receive 'endangered' status
By LISA STIFFLER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
In a move that surprised and pleased environmentalists and whale enthusiasts, the federal government declared Puget Sound orcas "endangered" Tuesday, triggering the most protective actions and requirements legally available.
The decision comes at a time when laws safeguarding orcas and other vanishing creatures have come under attack by some federal lawmakers. Tuesday's announcement underscores their importance, environmentalists said.
"This listing is long overdue, but it's the right decision and we're really happy," said Kathy Fletcher, executive director of People for Puget Sound, an environmental group.
"We know that these whales are in serious trouble," she said. "But the good news is this will give a real boost to make sure the actions are taken to make sure that these whales survive."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/248515_orcas16.html
Canada's salmon fishery target of two lawsuits
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Canadian fishing is severely cutting into salmon recovery efforts in the Pacific Northwest, according to two new federal lawsuits.
One lawsuit seeks to bar the import from Canada of any salmon protected by the Endangered Species Act; the other would force the U.S. government to reconsider a biological opinion it wrote supporting the 1999 Pacific Salmon Treaty with Canada.
Both lawsuits were filed Monday in U.S. District Court by the Salmon Spawning and Recovery Alliance, a collection of environmental and recreational groups from Washington and Oregon, as well as the Snohomish County Public Utility District. The lawsuits name the Commerce Department, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the State Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Interior Department and the Fish and Wildlife Service as defendants.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/248496_salmon16.html
Chemical weapons dump off Vancouver Island studied
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- A safety assessment is being made of a newly revealed chemical weapons dump that reportedly contains mustard gas and phosgene off the west coast of Vancouver Island, officials said.
Judith Bennett, an environmental engineer in Canada's Department of National Defense, said Tuesday the deadly chemicals and ammunition were dumped in about 8,000 feet of water 100 miles off the coast and at one of two East Coast sites after World War II.
One of the Atlantic sites is off Sable Island, roughly 200 miles southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the other involves a Canadian ship containing chemical warfare agents that was sunk by a German U-boat. The location of the sunken ship was not immediately available.
The West Coast site was identified through a review of military archives which showed the ammunition and chemical warfare agents were taken across Canada by train for disposal, Bennett said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_CAN_Chemical_Weapons.html
Ford Motor Co. recalls 220,000 vehicles
By KEN THOMAS
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- Ford Motor Co. recalled 220,000 vehicles from the 2005 model year Wednesday amid fire worries from a battery cable rubbing against the frame and concern that a fuel tank strap could separate after tens of thousands of miles.
The recall linked to the cable involves more than 98,000 Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car and Mercury Grand Marquis sedans. Ford said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it has received four reports of fires.
Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley said chafing of the cable caused the exposure of wires to the vehicle frame, causing the frame to become electrified in some cases and carry the potential for heat damage or fires.
The affected vehicles were built from March 2004 through February 2005.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1310AP_Ford_Recall.html
Michael Moore Today
continued ...
"Okeydoke"
History
Today is Wednesday, Nov. 16, the 320th day of 2005. There are 45 days left in the year.
1776, British troops captured Fort Washington during the American Revolution.
1864, Union Gen. William T. Sherman and his troops began their "March to the Sea" during the Civil War.
1873 W.C. Handy, Father of the Blues, is born in Florence, AL. He will compose numerous hits such as "St. Louis Blues" and "Memphis Blues".
1933, the United States and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations.
1941 Composer and organist Edward Margetson is honored by the Schubert Music Society at the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
1959, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The Sound of Music" opened on Broadway.
1973, Skylab 3, carrying a crew of three astronauts, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on an 84-day mission.
1973, President Nixon signed the Alaska Pipeline measure into law.
1981 Pam Johnson is named publisher of the Ithaca Journal (NY), becoming the first Black woman to run a daily newspaper
1982, an agreement was announced in the 57th day of a strike by National Football League players.
2000 Coca Cola settles race discrimination case to approximately 2,000 African American workers for $193 million in compensation. This is the biggest settlement in the history of USA Coca Cola.
2000 Civil Rights activist Hosea Williams dies from prostate cancer at the Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, GA. He was a top lieutenant to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who continued the battle for civil rights long after King's death.
Ten years ago: Refusing to yield, President Clinton threatened anew to veto the latest Republican offer to end a three-day partial government shutdown; Democrats savaged House Speaker Newt Gingrich for claiming Clinton had snubbed him recently aboard Air Force One.
Attorney General Janet Reno disclosed she had Parkinson's disease.
Five years ago: Al Gore won a legal fight to expand manual recounts as he struggled to trim George W. Bush's 300-vote lead in Florida's presidential race.
President Clinton began a visit to Vietnam.
Civil rights activist Hosea Williams died in Atlanta at age 74.
One year ago: President Bush picked National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to be his new secretary of state, succeeding Colin Powell.
Al-Jazeera television said it had received a video showing a hooded militant shooting a blindfolded woman in the head; it's believed the woman was kidnapped aid worker Margaret Hassan.
Sunni Muslims in Iraq expressed anger over videotape showing the fatal shooting of a wounded and apparently unarmed man in a Fallujah mosque by a U.S. Marine.
Missing in Action
1965 GREEN DONALD GEORGE BALDWIN PARK CA
1966 PITTMANN ALAN D. SHELBY IA "MULTIPLE SPELLINGS -- ON WALL AS ""PIITTMANN""" ALSO USG LISTS AS ALLAN PITTMAN REFNO 0524
1967 SCHULZ PAUL H. EIRE PA 03/14/73 RELEASED / HELI TO HANOI ALIVE AND WELL 98
1968 COPLEY WILLIAM M. NORTHRIDGE CA
1968 KARST CARL F. GALATIA KS REMAINS RETURNED APRIL 1994
1968 WIECHERT ROBERT CHARLES WEST JORDAN UT
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Tentative deal on Patriot Act, sources say
By LAURIE KELLMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- House and Senate negotiators struck a tentative deal on the expiring Patriot Act that would curb FBI subpoena power and require the Justice Department to more fully report its secret requests for information about ordinary people, according to officials involved in the talks.
The agreement, which would make most provisions of the existing law permanent, was reached just before dawn Wednesday. But by midmorning GOP leaders had already made plans for a House vote on Thursday and a Senate vote by the end of the week. That would put the centerpiece of President Bush's war on terror on his desk before Thanksgiving, a month before more than a dozen provisions were set to expire.
Officials negotiating the deal described it on condition of anonymity because the draft is not official and has not been signed by any of the 34 conferees.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1153AP_Patriot_Act.html
Government gives orcas a shield
Puget Sound's 'local' whales receive 'endangered' status
By LISA STIFFLER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
In a move that surprised and pleased environmentalists and whale enthusiasts, the federal government declared Puget Sound orcas "endangered" Tuesday, triggering the most protective actions and requirements legally available.
The decision comes at a time when laws safeguarding orcas and other vanishing creatures have come under attack by some federal lawmakers. Tuesday's announcement underscores their importance, environmentalists said.
"This listing is long overdue, but it's the right decision and we're really happy," said Kathy Fletcher, executive director of People for Puget Sound, an environmental group.
"We know that these whales are in serious trouble," she said. "But the good news is this will give a real boost to make sure the actions are taken to make sure that these whales survive."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/248515_orcas16.html
Canada's salmon fishery target of two lawsuits
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Canadian fishing is severely cutting into salmon recovery efforts in the Pacific Northwest, according to two new federal lawsuits.
One lawsuit seeks to bar the import from Canada of any salmon protected by the Endangered Species Act; the other would force the U.S. government to reconsider a biological opinion it wrote supporting the 1999 Pacific Salmon Treaty with Canada.
Both lawsuits were filed Monday in U.S. District Court by the Salmon Spawning and Recovery Alliance, a collection of environmental and recreational groups from Washington and Oregon, as well as the Snohomish County Public Utility District. The lawsuits name the Commerce Department, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the State Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Interior Department and the Fish and Wildlife Service as defendants.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/248496_salmon16.html
Chemical weapons dump off Vancouver Island studied
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- A safety assessment is being made of a newly revealed chemical weapons dump that reportedly contains mustard gas and phosgene off the west coast of Vancouver Island, officials said.
Judith Bennett, an environmental engineer in Canada's Department of National Defense, said Tuesday the deadly chemicals and ammunition were dumped in about 8,000 feet of water 100 miles off the coast and at one of two East Coast sites after World War II.
One of the Atlantic sites is off Sable Island, roughly 200 miles southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the other involves a Canadian ship containing chemical warfare agents that was sunk by a German U-boat. The location of the sunken ship was not immediately available.
The West Coast site was identified through a review of military archives which showed the ammunition and chemical warfare agents were taken across Canada by train for disposal, Bennett said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_CAN_Chemical_Weapons.html
Ford Motor Co. recalls 220,000 vehicles
By KEN THOMAS
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- Ford Motor Co. recalled 220,000 vehicles from the 2005 model year Wednesday amid fire worries from a battery cable rubbing against the frame and concern that a fuel tank strap could separate after tens of thousands of miles.
The recall linked to the cable involves more than 98,000 Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car and Mercury Grand Marquis sedans. Ford said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it has received four reports of fires.
Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley said chafing of the cable caused the exposure of wires to the vehicle frame, causing the frame to become electrified in some cases and carry the potential for heat damage or fires.
The affected vehicles were built from March 2004 through February 2005.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1310AP_Ford_Recall.html
Michael Moore Today
Mike has the 'white phosphorus' video on his website. I'm impressed.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
FAHRENHEIT 9/11
RATING: R
SHOWTIME ADVISORIES: Violence, Adult Language, Adult Content
Dolby Digital 5.1 / CC
2 h 3 m
SYNOPSIS:
Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore ("Roger & Me," "Bowling for Columbine") crafted this incendiary piece of skillful agitprop, an exploration of the tragic chain of events before and after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center of September 11, 2001. Pointing his finger at a global conspiracy of war, greed, and media manipulation, Moore leaves no political figure unscathed in his most passionate, outraged condemnation of a president and policies he considers illegitimate and incompetent.
UPCOMING AIRDATES:
Click on the airtime below if you would like an email reminder to watch. All times ET/PT.
Showtime
Tomorrow
1:15 AM
Showtime Too
Friday
9:00 PM
Showtime Showcase
Saturday
9:45 PM
Showtime Next
Monday
11:30 PM
Showtime Too
Tuesday
11:00 PM
http://www.sho.com/site/schedules/product_page.do?seriesid=0&episodeid=123757
...a message frtom Cindy Sheehan
Court Day
-- a message from Cindy Sheehan
Today is the day that a portion of the 376 people who were arrested in front of the White House are going to court to fight our arrest.
Out of the 376, 125 have their appearance day today. The court (Scooter and Karl's court) is expecting about 60 to 70 people to come today to contest the arrest.
We have a team of fine DC lawyers helping us today. My attorney, Jon Norris, has informed me that we could be facing up to a 500.00 fine and/or 6 months in jail.
This seems like a pretty stiff sentence to me for demonstrating without a permit!
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=543
Document Says Oil Chiefs Met With Cheney Task Force
By Dana Milbank and Justin Blum / Washington Post
A White House document shows that executives from big oil companies met with Vice President Cheney's energy task force in 2001 -- something long suspected by environmentalists but denied as recently as last week by industry officials testifying before Congress.
The document, obtained this week by The Washington Post, shows that officials from Exxon Mobil Corp., Conoco (before its merger with Phillips), Shell Oil Co. and BP America Inc. met in the White House complex with the Cheney aides who were developing a national energy policy, parts of which became law and parts of which are still being debated.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4886
They were never sworn in and Stevens may have broken the law !
Senate Hearings on Big Oil
Boston:The nation's biggest oil companies defended their combined quarterly profits of more than $30 billion on Wednesday at a Senate hearing where lawmakers demanded to know when prices would ease.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/11/09.html
Case Against GMU Protester Is Dropped
Student, an Air Force Veteran, Passed Out Fliers Saying Military Recruiters Lie
By Tom Jackman / Washington Post
Fairfax County prosecutors yesterday dropped charges against a George Mason University student who was arrested by campus police in September while protesting military recruiting at the school.
After investigating the case, George Mason officials asked last month that the charges against Tariq Khan, 27, be dismissed. Fairfax prosecutors complied in a brief hearing in Fairfax General District Court. Neither school officials nor prosecutors would explain why yesterday.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4888
US used white phosphorus in Iraq
BBC
The Pentagon has confirmed that US troops used white phosphorus during last year's offensive in the northern Iraqi city of Falluja.
"It was used as an incendiary weapon against enemy combatants," spokesman Lt Col Barry Venable told the BBC - though not against civilians, he said.
The US earlier denied it had been used in Falluja at all.
Col Venable denied that the substance - which can cause burning of the flesh - constituted a banned chemical weapon.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4884
The US used chemical weapons in Iraq - and then lied about it
Now we know napalm and phosphorus bombs have been dropped on Iraqis, why have the hawks failed to speak out?
By George Monbiot / Guardian
Did US troops use chemical weapons in Falluja? The answer is yes. The proof is not to be found in the documentary broadcast on Italian TV last week, which has generated gigabytes of hype on the internet. It's a turkey, whose evidence that white phosphorus was fired at Iraqi troops is flimsy and circumstantial. But the bloggers debating it found the smoking gun.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4875
'I treated people who had their skin melted'
By Dahr Jamail / The Independent
Abu Sabah knew he had witnessed something unusual. Sitting in November last year in a refugee camp in the grounds of Baghdad University, set up for the families who fled or were driven from Fallujah, this resident of the city's Jolan district told me how he had witnessed some of the battle's heaviest fighting.
"They used these weird bombs that put up smoke like a mushroom cloud," he said. He had seen "pieces of these bombs explode into large fires that continued to burn on the skin even after people dumped water on the burns".
As an unembedded journalist, I spent hours talking to residents forced out of the city. A doctor from Fallujah working in Saqlawiyah, on the outskirts of Fallujah, described treating victims during the siege "who had their skin melted".
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4874
CIA Accused of Using Airport in Mallorca
By Maria Jesus Prades / Associated Press
MADRID, Spain -- European probes of the CIA's alleged covert transfers of Islamic terror suspects have spread to Spain, where a court said Monday it has received a prosecutor's report on allegations that the agency used a Spanish airport on the island of Mallorca.
The document stemmed from a four-month investigation prompted by reports from a Mallorca newspaper on the arrivals of suspicious aircraft.
The newspaper, Diario de Mallorca, said a CIA plane that took off from the Mediterranean island was involved in the alleged kidnapping of a Lebanese-born German national, who says he was transported to Afghanistan, questioned as an al-Qaida suspect and tortured.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4881
CIA planes used Swedish airports
The Local
At least two planes used by America's CIA have landed at Swedish airports, according to research by news agency TT. Arlanda, Örebro, Sturup and Bromma airports have all hosted the intelligence organisation's aircraft.
One of them has been at the prison base in Guantanamo.
Similar reports have come from Iceland, Norway, Denmark and the Baltic states. It is not known in what capacity the planes were in Sweden but they were mentioned in a news report which revealed how the CIA organises transport of prisoners.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4882
Krever svar om CIA-fly
Hemmelige CIA-fly har vært på norsk jord i opptil tolv timer. Nå krever Utenriksdepartmentet en forklaring fra USA.
By Dag Yngve Dahle / AftenPosten
Utenriksdepartementet skal i dag onsdag ha et møte med USAs ambassadør i Norge.
- Vi vil ta opp landingen på Gardermoen i juli, der et amerikansk fly landet uten tillatelse. Jeg kan ikke si noe nå om hva som kommer frem på møtet. Det får vi ta når møtet har funnet sted, sier pressetalskvinne Anne Lene Dale Sandsten i Utenriksdepartementet, til Aftenposten.no.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4890
Activists discuss cost of Iraq war
By Rob Daniel / Iowa City Press-Citizen
Al Zappala said he was introduced to his adopted son Sherwood Baker when Baker was 13 months old.
"That's when I fell in love with Sherwood," Zappala said.
Twenty-nine years later, on April 26, 2004, Baker, a sergeant in the Pennsylvania National Guard, was killed by an exploding bomb at a warehouse in Baghdad, Iraq. He was 30 and left behind a wife, 9-year-old son and grieving parents, Zappala said. He said that he was not alone in his grief, knowing other soldiers have died in Iraq.
"We don't have a monopoly on grief," he said.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4867
Wal-Mart, the high cost of low price.
The DVD is full of special bonus features:
The full 98 minute film
A shorter 20 minute version
Behind the Scenes documentary
Director's commentary
8 parody commercials
The Spoofmakers
Spanish and French subtitles and four additional videos not in the film -- Canada, England, Our Moral Voices, and Don't Mourn...Take Action!
http://www.walmartmovie.com/watch.php
PREMIERE WEEK DAY 4: LEARN ABOUT WALMART
7000+ screenings planned in the largest grassroots mobilization in movie history!
http://www.walmartmovie.com/find.php?track=moore
Wednesday Screenings 16th
http://www.walmartmovie.com/wednesday.php
Thursday Screenings 17th
http://www.walmartmovie.com/thursday.php
Friday Screenings 18th
http://www.walmartmovie.com/friday.php
Saturday Screenings 19th
http://www.walmartmovie.com/saturday.php
More Soldier Letters...
Too many to fit in one book...
(an online companion)
http://www.michaelmoore.com/books-films/willtheyevertrustusagain/
The Boston Globe
National Adoption Day
More women interested in adoption
Ernest Oliver, 2, arrived with his mother to finalize his adoption at the Family Court in Brooklyn, New York, today. (AP Photo)
By Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press Writer November 16, 2005
WASHINGTON --The number of women interested in adopting children is up, but fewer of those women are acting on that impulse, a study being released Wednesday shows.
The Urban Institute reported that more women are willing to adopt hard-to-place children, including those with disabilities, minority children and older children.
"More interest isn't necessarily translating into more action," said Jennifer Macomber, a research associate at the Urban Institute.
The study, funded by the National Adoption Day Coalition, analyzed data from 1995 and 2002 surveys of women conducted by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/11/16/more_women_interested_in_adoption/
Sheehan, other protesters plead not guilty
War protester Cindy Sheehan speaks to her supporters as she arrives at the U.S. District Courthouse in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005. Sheehan said she is demanding a trial after being arrested demonstrating without a permit outside the White House on Sept. 26. Her son Casey was killed in Iraq last year and she gained notoriety last summer as she led a growing anti-war movement near President Bush's Texas ranch during his vacation. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
By Pete Yost, Associated Press Writer November 16, 2005
WASHINGTON --War protester Cindy Sheehan and several others pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of demonstrating without a permit outside the White House.
The protesters, who face fines and not jail time, were being tried Wednesday afternoon by U.S. Magistrate Alan Kay after several hours of talks with court officials about how quickly their trial could be wrapped up.
Before the trial began, Sheehan announced plans to revive her protest near President Bush's Texas ranch during Thanksgiving week, despite new county ordinances banning roadside camping.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/11/16/sheehan_other_protesters_plead_not_guilty
Global warming poses ethical challenge: scientists
By Patricia Reaney November 16, 2005
LONDON (Reuters) - Global warming poses an enormous ethical challenge because countries that produce the least amount of greenhouse gases will suffer the most from climate change, scientists said on Wednesday.
Whether it is an increase in poor health from diseases such as malaria or shrinking water supplies, nations in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and South America are vulnerable to the consequences of changes in global temperatures.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that climate change leads to more than 150,000 deaths every year and at least 5 million cases of illness.
In a review of the impact of global warming on public health, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the WHO predict countries in Africa and coastal nations along the Pacific and Indian Oceans will be hardest hit.
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2005/11/16/global_warming_poses_ethical_challenge_scientists/
Philly kindergartner found with heroin
November 16, 2005
PHILADELPHIA --A kindergarten teacher found eight bags of heroin in a 5-year-old student's pocket, police said.
The matter was under investigation and the boy's mother could be charged, police Inspector William Colarulo said.
The heroin was discovered Oct. 25. On Tuesday, the school sent a letter home to parents. The letter did not explain why the school waited three weeks to tell parents. It was sent home after a story about the incident aired on WCAU-TV.
Neither the child nor his classmates at Richmond Elementary School were harmed, a schools spokesman said.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2005/11/16/philly_kindergartner_found_with_heroin/
Study questions health effects of decaf
Jose Abel Aguillar, 9, of Nicaragua, works picking coffee on a plantation as juice from ripe coffee berries stain his hands near Palmares, Costa Rica, 55 kilometers (34 miles) northwest of San Jose, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005. Coffee industry experts from around the world are taking part in the XIX Sintercafe International Coffee Conference this week to discuss trends in the coffee industry. (AP Photo/Kent Gilbert)
By Marilynn Marchione, AP Medical Writer November 16, 2005
DALLAS --Fresh questions are percolating about the health effects of coffee, this time the decaffeinated variety. One of the first substantial studies to test it like a drug instead of just asking people how much of it they consumed found higher blood levels of cholesterol-precursor fats in those drinking decaf vs. regular coffee or none at all.
But the differences were very small, especially when compared with the effects of, say, the doughnut that might be dunked into the brew.
"I don't think there's a health threat," regardless of which type of coffee is consumed, said Dr. H. Robert Superko of Fuqua Heart Center in Atlanta, who did the study when previously at Stanford University. He reported on it Wednesday at an American Heart Association conference.
It was one of the few coffee studies not funded by industry -- federal taxpayers picked up the more than $1 million tab. (If you think that's a lot of money, consider that more than half of Americans drink three cups or more a day).
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/fitness/articles/2005/11/16/study_questions_health_effects_of_decaf/
C-sections in U.S. are at all-time high
By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press Writer November 16, 2005
ATLANTA --The rate of Caesarean sections in the U.S. has climbed to an all-time high, despite efforts by public health authorities to bring down the number of such deliveries, the government said Tuesday.
Nearly 1.2 million C-sections were performed in 2004, accounting for 29.1 percent of all births that year, the National Center for Health Statistics reported. That is up from 27.5 percent in 2003 and 20.7 in 1996.
The increase is attributed to fears of malpractice lawsuits if a vaginal delivery goes wrong, the preferences of mothers and physicians, and the risks of attempting vaginal births after Caesareans.
The C-section rate increased for all births, even those that involved healthy, first-time pregnancies with a full-term, single child. In 2000, the government announced a national public health goal of reducing the C-section rate for such births to 15 percent by 2010, but the actual rate now is about 24 percent and rising.
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/other/articles/2005/11/16/c_sections_in_us_are_at_all_time_high/
WHO says not enough done to fight obesity
By Uta Harnischfeger, Associated Press Writer November 16, 2005
GENEVA --Efforts so far by the food and drink industry to improve the nutritional value of their products to help fight childhood obesity are simply not good enough, the World Health Organization said.
"The industry's efforts are commendable, but inadequate. They are only a drop in the ocean," Colin Tukuitonga, who oversees the WHO's global strategy on diet and physical activity, said before a meeting with representatives of the food and soft drink industry on Wednesday.
Some industry giants such as Kraft, Nestle and Unilever have recently reviewed their recipes and reduced the salt, sugar and fat content of some of their products. They have also pledged to change some of their advertising and marketing practices.
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/fitness/articles/2005/11/16/who_says_not_enough_done_to_fight_obesity/
Senate passes bill to shore up pensions
By Jim Abrams, Associated Press Writer November 16, 2005
WASHINGTON --Hoping to reverse the deterioration of pension plans covering 44 million Americans, the Senate voted Wednesday to force companies to make up underfunding estimated at $450 billion and live up to promises made to employees.
The action came a day after the federal agency that insures such plans reported massive liabilities and predicted a troubled future.
The Senate legislation, passed 97-2, takes on the daunting task of compelling companies with defined-benefit plans to live up to their funding obligations -- without driving those companies into abandoning the plans and further eroding the retirement benefits of millions of people.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/11/16/senate_passes_bill_to_shore_up_pensions/
Attorney general seeks law clarifying no-work on Christmas Sunday
November 16, 2005
BOSTON --Attorney General Tom Reilly has asked the Legislature to clarify that retail employees do not have to work this Christmas, which falls on a Sunday.
Under existing law, when the holiday falls on a Sunday, the legal holiday is marked the following day, Monday, Dec. 26. Most businesses and state offices will be closed that day.
Reilly, however, is concerned the state's blue laws could be read in a manner that retail workers feel compelled to work on that Sunday, the true date of Christmas. Unlike the other businesses, retail stores will be open Dec. 26.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/11/16/attorney_general_seeks_law_clarifying_no_work_on_christmas_sunday/
Senate passes bill to fund crimefighting
By Jim Abrams, Associated Press Writer November 16, 2005
WASHINGTON --The FBI and other federal crimefighting agencies came out well in a $57.9 billion spending bill passed by the Senate on Wednesday, but funds for state and local law enforcement were cut.
The 94-5 Senate vote sent the bill, which covers Justice, Commerce, State Department and science agency programs, to President Bush for his signature.
House and Senate negotiators also were wrapping up work on a $140 billion spending bill for Transportation, Treasury and Housing programs after the Senate agreed to remove a provision -- under the threat of a presidential veto -- that would have eased restrictions on agriculture trade to Cuba.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/11/16/senate_passes_bill_to_fund_crimefighting/
New reports emerge about Castro's health
Cuban President Fidel Castro sits in a wheelchair as he recovers from a fall he took the previous month while giving a speech, in this Monday Nov. 22, 2004 file photo, in Havana, Cuba. The reports about Fidel Castro's health have swirled around for years, growing more frequent as the 79-year-old Cuban leader grows older and interest in his inevitable succession sharpens. (AP Photo/Jose Goitia)
By Anita Snow, Associated Press Writer November 16, 2005
HAVANA --The reports about Fidel Castro's health have swirled around for years, growing more frequent as the 79-year-old Cuban leader grows older and interest in his inevitable succession sharpens.
Sometimes he is said to have cancer. Other times, he is said to have suffered a series of small strokes.
Most recently, a U.S. official told The Associated Press in Washington Wednesday that an intelligence assessment based on a wide variety of material suggests Castro has Parkinson's disease -- something rumored and laughed off by the president as long as seven years ago.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the information's sensitivity, emphasized the assessment is based on analysis and is not a definitive conclusion.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2005/11/16/new_reports_emerge_about_castros_health/
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Tamoxifen cuts breast cancer, but many still wary
By Marie McCullough
Inquirer Staff Writer
The final results of a landmark study confirm that the drug tamoxifen prevents breast cancer, cutting the expected incidence by nearly half among women at increased risk of the disease.
On top of that, it protects bones and reduces cholesterol.
But the wrap-up of the $68 million, 13-year Breast Cancer Prevention Trial underscores an equally remarkable finding: Most at-risk women who could benefit from taking the drug choose not to. A study published last year by the American Cancer Society found that 60 percent of such women said no thanks.
The reasons for this, researchers say, include exaggerated perceptions of tamoxifen's risks, lack of marketing, the prospect of even better preventive drugs, and differing opinions about what level of risk is high enough to take the drug.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/13177367.htm
New drug plan opens to a torrent of callers
By Marian Uhlman
Inquirer Staff Writer
Medicare yesterday opened enrollment for its ambitious new drug benefit to mixed reviews, with federal officials saying they were keeping up with growing interest in the plan.
But private and state groups said they were continuing to be swamped by anxious seniors trying to decide what they should do.
"It's certainly a stretch to our limitations," said Jack Vogelsong, Pennsylvania's coordinator for the health insurance counseling program.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/13177366.htm
The New Medicare Prescription Plan
Explaining what you need to know
Richard Stefanacci
Richard G. Stefanacci is the founding executive director of the Health Policy Institute at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
Having served as a Medicare policy scholar, he is an expert on its new prescription drug plan, the biggest change to Medicare since its inception in 1965. To help allay confusion and anxieties, he's agreed to answer your questions.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/special_packages/phillytalk/qa_forum.htm
Poll: Doubt lingers over Catholic Church abuse response
Most say they believe the church places its image before children's welfare.
By David O'Reilly
Inquirer Staff Writer
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia still has a way to go to restore public confidence in its handling of clergy sex abuse, a new Temple University/Inquirer poll has found.
A majority of adults polled said they believe archdiocesan leaders continue to put the church's reputation ahead of protecting children.
While many of those interviewed said the archdiocese has improved its handling of clergy sex abuse in recent years, 43 percent of Catholics - and 63 percent of non-Catholics - polled said they felt archdiocesan officials are first concerned with the church's reputation when confronted with abuse allegations.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/13177400.htm
Editorial Philadelphia freedom
It's not the Berlin Wall tumbling, but the National Park Service plan to pull down bicycle barricades around Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell pavilion is a breakthrough in its own right.
For visitors to Independence Mall, it's a huge, practical victory. For the cause of liberty, it's a symbolic high five long in coming.
Finally, the ugly barriers ringing the old Statehouse and bell since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks will be removed and replaced by a more permanent security setup.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/13177379.htm
Editorial Goodbye season, hello Sundays
No Supe for you, Donovan.
Most Eagles fans probably are stuck in the middle stages of the Kuebler-Ross grief cycle, lingering somewhere between anger and depression.
It'll take some time to achieve acceptance that this, just like the 44 years before it, just isn't going to be the Birds' year. Their midnight meltdown in a nationally televised loss to hated Dallas will take a while to digest.
We're here to help you find the bright side, Eagles fans. You have no idea of this, but Sundays in the autumn offer a bright array of possible activities, none of which you have ever tried since you got that first green jersey under the Christmas tree when you were 4. Every Sunday since you've spent weeping at missed tackles and botched kicks.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/13177412.htm
continued ...
November 16, 2005.
The Philadelphia Zoo Elephants.
I congratulate the people of Philadelphia for treating their zoo inhabitants like family and making them a home and not just a containment. I don't know what that string is from the elephants mouth either. You know the animals don't worry about the litter that might make it into their enclosure.
Caption: Two of the Philadelphia Zoo's elephants show a mammoth appetite for bamboo shoots. That appetite - they consume several hundred pounds of vegetation a day - is a major point of conflict between elephants in the wild and humans.
Morning Papers - continued
Zoos
NZ wallabies dying on re-introduction to Australia
16.11.05 1.00pm
By Kent Atkinson
Dozens of wallabies re-introduced to a South Australian national park from Kawau Island in the Hauraki Gulf have died.
Only 14 of the 46 NZ tammar wallabies released into a new life at Innes National Park in the past 12 months have survived, the Yorke Peninsula Country Times reported.
Of the first 10 tammar wallabies released 12 months ago, only four are still alive, and of the second batch of 36 animals released in June, 10 have survived.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10355504
County buying 130 acres to save Naples Zoo
By LAURA LAYDEN, lllayden@naplesnews.com
November 15, 2005
Collier County has come to the rescue.
After 19 months of wrangling over how to save the Naples Zoo, county commissioners voted Tuesday to buy nearly 130 acres of land under and next to the landmark attraction. Their mission — preservation.
"We basically got license today to continue business," said David Tetzlaff, zoo director. "That is what we were looking for."
And that's what others were looking for as they sat in the commission chambers to cheer the zoo, which the Tetzlaff family has run for more than 35 years. Supporters held up homemade signs. One of them simply said: "Save the Land." Another said, "We Voted to Save the Land."
http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/news/article/0,2071,NPDN_14940_4241368,00.html
LA Zoo Director Says Reports Of Gita Elephant's Health Untrue
POSTED: 9:49 am PST November 16, 2005
UPDATED: 11:32 am PST November 16, 2005
LOS ANGELES -- There's new concern about the elephant named Gita at the Los Angeles.
Some say her health is not getting better and questions are being raised about the future of the elephant exhibit.
Critics say Gita's condition is further proof that the elephant exhibit at the Zoo needs to be closed.
The LA Zoo Director John Lewis says Gita's health is improving. He says two specialists from UC Davis examined the elephant on Tuesday, and said her foot wound continues to improve. Lewis said reports that Gita is "near death" are simply untrue.
The public cannot see Gita the elephant on display. She's in a back barn at the zoo.
http://www.nbc4.tv/news/5339424/detail.html
Town to see 'Zoo Lights' glisten again
By Stephen Hagan/ stoneham@cnc.com
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Once again, the bright lights of Stoneham will get a bit brighter this holiday season, as thousands of light bulbs shimmer during "Zoo Lights" at the Stone Zoo.
The festival runs from Nov. 24 through Dec. 30, from 5 to 9 p.m. each night.
One couple was so enamored with the event they decided to hold their wedding during "Zoo Lights." The request for the ceremony was a first for the zoo, according to Melissa Grossenbacher, public relations manager for Zoo New England.
"We were like, all right, like sure" said Grossenbacher. "They met last year and one of their first dates was 'Zoo Lights.' They have such an affection for the zoo they decided to get married there.
"They both have a love of animals."
The wedding will be held on Dec. 17 at the Santa's Castle exhibit, just prior to the commencement of the public evening show.
http://www2.townonline.com/stoneham/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=369023
K-Zoo Promise students could get CMU Promise
By Jason Ogden
Staff Reporter
November 16, 2005
CMU will step up recruitment in Kalamazoo after last week’s announcement of the Kalamazoo Promise.
The promise offers free tuition to any student from the three Kalamazoo public high schools to any state university or community college.
Kalamazoo Public Schools announced the plan Thursday, although nobody knows who is funding it – the donors have chosen to remain anonymous. Under the program, the longer a student is in the district, the more money they will receive for college, starting with the class of 2006.
Students who have spent at least four years in the district will receive 65 percent of their tuition and fees paid, while students who have been in the district since kindergarten have all costs taken care of.
http://www.cm-life.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/11/16/437abeb063a42
Fresno County supervisors, Fresno City Council members emphasize restoring public's trust.
By Marc Benjamin / The Fresno Bee
(Updated Wednesday, November 16, 2005, 5:43 AM)
Pressure mounted Tuesday against three Fresno Zoo Corp. Board members as fellow board members called for their resignations. Joining the criticism were Fresno County supervisors and Fresno City Council members.
The resignation calls follow an emotional zoo board meeting Monday night,when board Chairman Jay Weed and treasurer David Cowin were asked to step down but refused. County supervisors Tuesday also sought the resignation of Mike Woods, who headed a transition team that negotiated the lease between the Fresno Zoo Corp. and the city of Fresno. The passage of Measure Z last November would allow the corporation to take over operation of the zoo from the city.
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/11486619p-12225801c.html
Demanding Answers From Chaffee Zoo Board
November 15, 2005 - Demanding answers and more calls for resignations for several members of the Chaffee Zoo board. It started as an emergency meeting to decide how meetings would be handled, but it ended with calls for board members to resign.
New calls for resignation are coming from Fresno County's Board of Supervisors, some of whom say they are appalled at their zoo appointee's actions.
Tuesday morning, the supervisors voted to ask for three zoo board members to step down so the zoo board can move forward.
"I want them gone. If they worked for me, I'd fire them. You don't ask for the resignations of people like this. You fire them," said Supervisor Bob Waterston.
But, neither the city, nor county, have that authority, so the supervisors are writing a letter asking for zoo board chairman Jay Weed, treasurer Dave Cowin, and board member Mike Woods to step down.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=3636128
Zoo Reveals Date For Public Panda Viewing
Tickets To Be Available Online
POSTED: 7:50 am EST November 16, 2005
UPDATED: 8:01 am EST November 16, 2005
WASHINGTON -- If you're one of the thousands waiting to see the new panda cub at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, your wait is almost over.
Zoo officials have announced that panda fans eager to get a look at 4-month-old Tai Shan will get their first peek Dec. 8.
http://www.nbc4.com/news/5336827/detail.html
Breaking News: Tiger on the loose from Ashville Zoo
By PAT DOWD
Yes, you read that headline correctly.
According to police reports, one of the tigers is on the loose from the Ashville Game Farm and Zoo in Greenwich.
Police are asking folks to stay out of the area while the search goes on.
The full-grown "golden tabby" tiger is believed to be friendly, but police don't want anything to startle it.
For a look at the company's Web site that shows Tahan the tiger, click here.
A state police helicopter is headed to the area from Albany to join the search.
The game farm is on Lick Springs Road in Greenwich.
http://www.poststar.com/story.asp?storyid=2048
Breaking News: Loose tiger found, tranquilized
Staff Report
Updated: 11/16/2005 2:50:56 PM
GREENWICH -- A 225-pound tiger that escaped from a game farm in Greenwich on Wednesday morning was found about three and a half hours later and tranquilized, authorities said.
The 7 year old female tiger, named Tahan, found several miles from the outdoor zoo, was shot twice with tranquilizer darts fired by a state Department of Environmental Conservation officer.
She was trained to do tricks, including walking on her hind legs.
The gold and white tabby Bengal tiger was described as being docile by its owner Jeff Ash, who operates the Ashville Game Farm & Exotic Zoo on Lick Spring Road in Greenwich. Ash, though, said the tiger had the potential to be dangerous if cornered.
The loose tiger prompted Argyle Central School, several miles away, to cancel outdoor recess Wednesday.
The tiger escaped about 10:30 a.m. from the game farm and was tranquilized just before 2 p.m. near Cottrell Road off Route 40.
http://www.poststar.com/story.asp?storyid=2049
Zoo master plan, donation program moving ahead
Kimberly Wear
EUREKA -- The City Council voted Tuesday to move forward with a new 20-year master plan to help determine future needs and preserve the Sequoia Park Zoo’s accreditation after the American Zoo and Aquarium Association raised a series of concerns.
The council authorized the Public Works Department to send out request qualifications to find an applicant capable of doing the specialized work. The estimated cost is $55,000.
”The need for an updated master plan has been identified for a couple of years by staff,” said Public Works director Michael Knight, adding that tight budgets have made that difficult.
Knight said the zoo may be receiving a bequeath in the next few months that could aid in paying for the plan, which currently has no designated funding source.
http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_3222669
Baby rhino brings cheer to Patna Zoo visitors
Patna November 16, 2005 2:12:27 PM IST
The birth of a healthy male baby rhino at the Patna Zoo has brought a lot of cheer in the lives of both the zoo authorities and its visitors.
The one-horned baby rhino weighs about 40 kilograms and is in good health, zoo authorities said, adding that the total rhino population of the zoo has now gone up to nine.
"It is a matter of great happiness that a new baby rhino has born which takes the taking the rhino population to nine, which is the highest in any zoo in India. We have got International recognition for successful breeding of the rhino and with his birth we have again proved ourselves. We all are very happy," says Rakesh Kumar, Director, Patna Zoo.
http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=163995&cat=India
This is not only irresponsible but an outrage.
CHIANG MAI SAFARI: Rare animals on the menu at zoo
Published on November 17, 2005
Visitors offered daily buffet of lion, tiger, elephant and giraffe meat; conservation groups outraged. Lovers of “wild” cuisine are in for a treat when Chiang Mai’s Night Safari opens next year, project director Plodprasop Suraswadi said yesterday. Visitors to the park’s Vareekunchorn restaurant will have the option of tucking in to an “Exotic Buffet” of tiger, lion, elephant and giraffe, for just Bt4,500 a head.
The park, which had a soft opening yesterday, officially opens on New Year’s Day.
The animal-buffet idea has drawn strong protests from wildlife groups, which have expressed concern that the menu of endangered and protected animals will confuse the public and foreign visitors about the real objective of the zoo, as well as Thailand’s stance on wildlife conservation.
According to Plodprasop, animals for the buffet would be imported daily and legally to the zoo.
Ironically, the prime minister said the park would aim to increase public awareness of natural science and wildlife.
http://nationmultimedia.com/2005/11/17/national/index.php?news=national_19180026.html
Born free, died in a Thai zoo
The decision by the Kenyan government to sell animals to Thailand is regrettable. It is disheartening that these animals will be taken from their natural habitat to be confined in a cage for the rest of their lives.
Animals should remain free and should not be captured and placed in a zoo. Some of them are Cites-listed species. The park where these animals are initially being sent is unlikely to be interested in the breeding or conservation of the animals.
Putting them on display for the public's amusement does not, in my mind, justify their capture and a lifetime of imprisonment. How can we be sure that the animals will remain at this safari park? They could end up on the roofs of departmental stores or restaurants. Kenya has a duty to protect its wildlife heritage.
Jennie O'Connor
Cobble Hill, Canada
http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/Opinion/Opinion1411200512.htm
Dian Fossey's legacy lives on
By Oscar Kimanuka
Dian Fossey, the American zoologist and world authority on gorillas, spent nearly 20 years of her life photographing, observing and writing about the rare mountain gorillas of Rwanda. Her sense of connection and community with "her" gorillas is said to have "placed her self, body, mind and spirit, within the animals' lives."
The residents of Ruhengeri nicknamed her Nyiramachibili, which means, "Old lady who lives in the forest without a man." The areas around the mountains where the gorillas are found are clearly overpopulated, with human encroachment on their habitat evident.
As the gorillas are pushed further up the mountain slopes, they encounter colder climates and different vegetation. These conditions are not ideal for their survival. Poaching has fortunately been contained on the Rwanda side of the border.
http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/Opinion/Opinion141120054.htm
Elephants at the Phoenix Zoo get a new habitat
By Katie McDevitt, Tribune
November 16, 2005
Sheena stretched her long trunk toward the sky, grabbed some hay and shoveled the crunchy mound into her mouth. Nearby, a curious Indu cautiously poked the end of her trunk into a small fountain.
The elephants at the Phoenix Zoo were calm and happy in their habitats Tuesday. But it wasn’t always that way. For three years, the elephants’ aggressive behavior forced zookeepers to house them in solitude.
A new habitat that allows elephants to forage for food, walk around obstacles and scratch themselves as they would in the wild has changed all that.
Even the zoo’s third elephant, Reba, who once killed a circus trainer, is calming down, though she’s not yet able to join the others in the habitat.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=53248
What would it be like to live to 175?
WHO, WHAT, WHY?
The Magazine answers...
A tortoise reputedly collected from the Galapagos islands by Charles Darwin has turned 175. What if humans lived that long?
Harriet the giant tortoise has celebrated her 175th birthday and is now probably the world's oldest living creature. Her longevity has been put down to lifestyle and genes, and her keepers at Australia Zoo in Queensland say she could reach 200.
"She's not under any pressure, she goes at her own steady pace, doesn't burn up any energy and is loved by everybody," says a zoo spokesman.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4442020.stm
A place where elephants could just be elephants
Activists promote the idea of a vast preserve to establish a self-sustaining herd. Some zoo officials are skeptical.
By Julie Stoiber
Inquirer Staff Writer
Watching elephants in the wild is an experience so powerful that wildlife author Douglas H. Chadwick describes it as "a whole different level of being alive."
It's an experience most of us won't have, though, since elephants' natural habitats are far away, in Africa and Asia.
And so we visit zoos, many of which are rethinking exactly how the world's largest land mammals should be shown. Last month, for example, the Philadelphia Zoo announced that it did not have the money to build a new savanna for Petal, Dulary, Bette and Kallie, but said it hoped someday to replace the quarter-acre elephant exhibit and 1,800-square-foot barn.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/philadelphia_county/philadelphia/13177417.htm
Three Liger Cubs Born in Russian Zoo
Created: 14.11.2005 12:09 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 12:09 MSK
Three liger cubs have been born in the Novosibirsk Zoo to unusual parents: an African lion and a Bengalese tigress, the zoo’s director Rostislav Shilo told RIA Novosti Monday. The cubs are called ligers, a term derived from their parents’ species, lion and tiger.
The cubs were born as a result of a genuine attachment between the lion and the tigress who have been kept in neighboring cages since childhood. Such a cross would be impossible in a natural environment, since tigers and lions only mate with their kin.
The litter is the couple’s second, the zoo director added. In summer 2004 ligress Zita was born in the zoo. Zita is now one year and four months old.
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/11/14/ligercubs.shtml
A guide to celebrations of all kinds for children
01:38 PM EST on Sunday, November 13, 2005
Compiled by JANINA FERA
The options for children's birthday parties at home or away continue to grow with each edition of our annual Children's Birthday Party Guide.
Today's 2006 guide features almost 200 party options, divided into two sections. The first is a list of places where you can have a child's party; this year we pulled the bowling parties and swimming pool parties into their own sections at the end of this list. The second is a list of entertainers you can hire and games you can rent for a party at home or other location.
This information was received in response to requests for information about birthday parties in LIFEstyles and in Lifebeat; we also sent letters to those who appeared in last year's guide.
After talking to these party folks, we emphasize that you have to plan ahead: To be safe, contact the company or performer at least four weeks before your target date.
Party on!
http://www.projo.com/yourlife/content/projo_20051113_birthday.2145f71.html
Siberia tigers as gifts to S. Korea
Winny Wang
2005-11-15 Beijing Time
CHINA will send South Korea two Siberia tigers as national gifts on Thursday, Harbin Daily reported today.
The 3- and 4-years-old tigers, whose names are "Yuanyuan" and "Xinji," were shipped from the Siberia Tiger Park in Harbin yesterday to Beijing by trunk. Park employees spent 2 hours to let the strong tigers go into cages because they seemed to be reluctant to leave their hometown.
After a series of check, they will take a plane to South Korea on Thursday afternoon.
They will live in a state-owned zoo near Seoul, the report said. Korean staff said they had purchased foods for them, and the beef they will eat cost 160 yuan (US$19.80) per kilogram.
The wild Siberian tiger, largely indigenous to the Russian Far East, northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula, is listed as one of the world's most endangered wildlife species. No more than 400 are believed alive.
Fewer than 20 wild Siberian tigers are believed to be in China — mainly in the mountains of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. The government's Forestry Administration placed all breeds of tigers under "key state protection" in 2001.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2005/11/15/213671/Siberia_tigers_as_gifts_to_S__Korea.htm
This was January 2005.
Unbearable thaw grips Russian zoo
Leningrad Zoo's brown bear may have a really sore head
Temperatures in north-west Russia are so mild this week that they are disrupting bears' sleep in St Petersburg's zoo, local media say.
A zoo official told Interfax news agency that a black bear had woken from hibernation, while a brown bear had still not gone to sleep for the winter.
Temperatures have reached record highs of seven degrees celsius in some areas.
The unusual warmth, accompanied by heavy winds and rain, has melted river ice and caused flooding in the city.
Storms have been causing havoc across Northern Europe in recent days, and were described as the worst to hit the neighbouring Baltic states in 40 years.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4169565.stm
continued …
NZ wallabies dying on re-introduction to Australia
16.11.05 1.00pm
By Kent Atkinson
Dozens of wallabies re-introduced to a South Australian national park from Kawau Island in the Hauraki Gulf have died.
Only 14 of the 46 NZ tammar wallabies released into a new life at Innes National Park in the past 12 months have survived, the Yorke Peninsula Country Times reported.
Of the first 10 tammar wallabies released 12 months ago, only four are still alive, and of the second batch of 36 animals released in June, 10 have survived.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10355504
County buying 130 acres to save Naples Zoo
By LAURA LAYDEN, lllayden@naplesnews.com
November 15, 2005
Collier County has come to the rescue.
After 19 months of wrangling over how to save the Naples Zoo, county commissioners voted Tuesday to buy nearly 130 acres of land under and next to the landmark attraction. Their mission — preservation.
"We basically got license today to continue business," said David Tetzlaff, zoo director. "That is what we were looking for."
And that's what others were looking for as they sat in the commission chambers to cheer the zoo, which the Tetzlaff family has run for more than 35 years. Supporters held up homemade signs. One of them simply said: "Save the Land." Another said, "We Voted to Save the Land."
http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/news/article/0,2071,NPDN_14940_4241368,00.html
LA Zoo Director Says Reports Of Gita Elephant's Health Untrue
POSTED: 9:49 am PST November 16, 2005
UPDATED: 11:32 am PST November 16, 2005
LOS ANGELES -- There's new concern about the elephant named Gita at the Los Angeles.
Some say her health is not getting better and questions are being raised about the future of the elephant exhibit.
Critics say Gita's condition is further proof that the elephant exhibit at the Zoo needs to be closed.
The LA Zoo Director John Lewis says Gita's health is improving. He says two specialists from UC Davis examined the elephant on Tuesday, and said her foot wound continues to improve. Lewis said reports that Gita is "near death" are simply untrue.
The public cannot see Gita the elephant on display. She's in a back barn at the zoo.
http://www.nbc4.tv/news/5339424/detail.html
Town to see 'Zoo Lights' glisten again
By Stephen Hagan/ stoneham@cnc.com
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Once again, the bright lights of Stoneham will get a bit brighter this holiday season, as thousands of light bulbs shimmer during "Zoo Lights" at the Stone Zoo.
The festival runs from Nov. 24 through Dec. 30, from 5 to 9 p.m. each night.
One couple was so enamored with the event they decided to hold their wedding during "Zoo Lights." The request for the ceremony was a first for the zoo, according to Melissa Grossenbacher, public relations manager for Zoo New England.
"We were like, all right, like sure" said Grossenbacher. "They met last year and one of their first dates was 'Zoo Lights.' They have such an affection for the zoo they decided to get married there.
"They both have a love of animals."
The wedding will be held on Dec. 17 at the Santa's Castle exhibit, just prior to the commencement of the public evening show.
http://www2.townonline.com/stoneham/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=369023
K-Zoo Promise students could get CMU Promise
By Jason Ogden
Staff Reporter
November 16, 2005
CMU will step up recruitment in Kalamazoo after last week’s announcement of the Kalamazoo Promise.
The promise offers free tuition to any student from the three Kalamazoo public high schools to any state university or community college.
Kalamazoo Public Schools announced the plan Thursday, although nobody knows who is funding it – the donors have chosen to remain anonymous. Under the program, the longer a student is in the district, the more money they will receive for college, starting with the class of 2006.
Students who have spent at least four years in the district will receive 65 percent of their tuition and fees paid, while students who have been in the district since kindergarten have all costs taken care of.
http://www.cm-life.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/11/16/437abeb063a42
Fresno County supervisors, Fresno City Council members emphasize restoring public's trust.
By Marc Benjamin / The Fresno Bee
(Updated Wednesday, November 16, 2005, 5:43 AM)
Pressure mounted Tuesday against three Fresno Zoo Corp. Board members as fellow board members called for their resignations. Joining the criticism were Fresno County supervisors and Fresno City Council members.
The resignation calls follow an emotional zoo board meeting Monday night,when board Chairman Jay Weed and treasurer David Cowin were asked to step down but refused. County supervisors Tuesday also sought the resignation of Mike Woods, who headed a transition team that negotiated the lease between the Fresno Zoo Corp. and the city of Fresno. The passage of Measure Z last November would allow the corporation to take over operation of the zoo from the city.
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/11486619p-12225801c.html
Demanding Answers From Chaffee Zoo Board
November 15, 2005 - Demanding answers and more calls for resignations for several members of the Chaffee Zoo board. It started as an emergency meeting to decide how meetings would be handled, but it ended with calls for board members to resign.
New calls for resignation are coming from Fresno County's Board of Supervisors, some of whom say they are appalled at their zoo appointee's actions.
Tuesday morning, the supervisors voted to ask for three zoo board members to step down so the zoo board can move forward.
"I want them gone. If they worked for me, I'd fire them. You don't ask for the resignations of people like this. You fire them," said Supervisor Bob Waterston.
But, neither the city, nor county, have that authority, so the supervisors are writing a letter asking for zoo board chairman Jay Weed, treasurer Dave Cowin, and board member Mike Woods to step down.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=3636128
Zoo Reveals Date For Public Panda Viewing
Tickets To Be Available Online
POSTED: 7:50 am EST November 16, 2005
UPDATED: 8:01 am EST November 16, 2005
WASHINGTON -- If you're one of the thousands waiting to see the new panda cub at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, your wait is almost over.
Zoo officials have announced that panda fans eager to get a look at 4-month-old Tai Shan will get their first peek Dec. 8.
http://www.nbc4.com/news/5336827/detail.html
Breaking News: Tiger on the loose from Ashville Zoo
By PAT DOWD
Yes, you read that headline correctly.
According to police reports, one of the tigers is on the loose from the Ashville Game Farm and Zoo in Greenwich.
Police are asking folks to stay out of the area while the search goes on.
The full-grown "golden tabby" tiger is believed to be friendly, but police don't want anything to startle it.
For a look at the company's Web site that shows Tahan the tiger, click here.
A state police helicopter is headed to the area from Albany to join the search.
The game farm is on Lick Springs Road in Greenwich.
http://www.poststar.com/story.asp?storyid=2048
Breaking News: Loose tiger found, tranquilized
Staff Report
Updated: 11/16/2005 2:50:56 PM
GREENWICH -- A 225-pound tiger that escaped from a game farm in Greenwich on Wednesday morning was found about three and a half hours later and tranquilized, authorities said.
The 7 year old female tiger, named Tahan, found several miles from the outdoor zoo, was shot twice with tranquilizer darts fired by a state Department of Environmental Conservation officer.
She was trained to do tricks, including walking on her hind legs.
The gold and white tabby Bengal tiger was described as being docile by its owner Jeff Ash, who operates the Ashville Game Farm & Exotic Zoo on Lick Spring Road in Greenwich. Ash, though, said the tiger had the potential to be dangerous if cornered.
The loose tiger prompted Argyle Central School, several miles away, to cancel outdoor recess Wednesday.
The tiger escaped about 10:30 a.m. from the game farm and was tranquilized just before 2 p.m. near Cottrell Road off Route 40.
http://www.poststar.com/story.asp?storyid=2049
Zoo master plan, donation program moving ahead
Kimberly Wear
EUREKA -- The City Council voted Tuesday to move forward with a new 20-year master plan to help determine future needs and preserve the Sequoia Park Zoo’s accreditation after the American Zoo and Aquarium Association raised a series of concerns.
The council authorized the Public Works Department to send out request qualifications to find an applicant capable of doing the specialized work. The estimated cost is $55,000.
”The need for an updated master plan has been identified for a couple of years by staff,” said Public Works director Michael Knight, adding that tight budgets have made that difficult.
Knight said the zoo may be receiving a bequeath in the next few months that could aid in paying for the plan, which currently has no designated funding source.
http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_3222669
Baby rhino brings cheer to Patna Zoo visitors
Patna November 16, 2005 2:12:27 PM IST
The birth of a healthy male baby rhino at the Patna Zoo has brought a lot of cheer in the lives of both the zoo authorities and its visitors.
The one-horned baby rhino weighs about 40 kilograms and is in good health, zoo authorities said, adding that the total rhino population of the zoo has now gone up to nine.
"It is a matter of great happiness that a new baby rhino has born which takes the taking the rhino population to nine, which is the highest in any zoo in India. We have got International recognition for successful breeding of the rhino and with his birth we have again proved ourselves. We all are very happy," says Rakesh Kumar, Director, Patna Zoo.
http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=163995&cat=India
This is not only irresponsible but an outrage.
CHIANG MAI SAFARI: Rare animals on the menu at zoo
Published on November 17, 2005
Visitors offered daily buffet of lion, tiger, elephant and giraffe meat; conservation groups outraged. Lovers of “wild” cuisine are in for a treat when Chiang Mai’s Night Safari opens next year, project director Plodprasop Suraswadi said yesterday. Visitors to the park’s Vareekunchorn restaurant will have the option of tucking in to an “Exotic Buffet” of tiger, lion, elephant and giraffe, for just Bt4,500 a head.
The park, which had a soft opening yesterday, officially opens on New Year’s Day.
The animal-buffet idea has drawn strong protests from wildlife groups, which have expressed concern that the menu of endangered and protected animals will confuse the public and foreign visitors about the real objective of the zoo, as well as Thailand’s stance on wildlife conservation.
According to Plodprasop, animals for the buffet would be imported daily and legally to the zoo.
Ironically, the prime minister said the park would aim to increase public awareness of natural science and wildlife.
http://nationmultimedia.com/2005/11/17/national/index.php?news=national_19180026.html
Born free, died in a Thai zoo
The decision by the Kenyan government to sell animals to Thailand is regrettable. It is disheartening that these animals will be taken from their natural habitat to be confined in a cage for the rest of their lives.
Animals should remain free and should not be captured and placed in a zoo. Some of them are Cites-listed species. The park where these animals are initially being sent is unlikely to be interested in the breeding or conservation of the animals.
Putting them on display for the public's amusement does not, in my mind, justify their capture and a lifetime of imprisonment. How can we be sure that the animals will remain at this safari park? They could end up on the roofs of departmental stores or restaurants. Kenya has a duty to protect its wildlife heritage.
Jennie O'Connor
Cobble Hill, Canada
http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/Opinion/Opinion1411200512.htm
Dian Fossey's legacy lives on
By Oscar Kimanuka
Dian Fossey, the American zoologist and world authority on gorillas, spent nearly 20 years of her life photographing, observing and writing about the rare mountain gorillas of Rwanda. Her sense of connection and community with "her" gorillas is said to have "placed her self, body, mind and spirit, within the animals' lives."
The residents of Ruhengeri nicknamed her Nyiramachibili, which means, "Old lady who lives in the forest without a man." The areas around the mountains where the gorillas are found are clearly overpopulated, with human encroachment on their habitat evident.
As the gorillas are pushed further up the mountain slopes, they encounter colder climates and different vegetation. These conditions are not ideal for their survival. Poaching has fortunately been contained on the Rwanda side of the border.
http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/Opinion/Opinion141120054.htm
Elephants at the Phoenix Zoo get a new habitat
By Katie McDevitt, Tribune
November 16, 2005
Sheena stretched her long trunk toward the sky, grabbed some hay and shoveled the crunchy mound into her mouth. Nearby, a curious Indu cautiously poked the end of her trunk into a small fountain.
The elephants at the Phoenix Zoo were calm and happy in their habitats Tuesday. But it wasn’t always that way. For three years, the elephants’ aggressive behavior forced zookeepers to house them in solitude.
A new habitat that allows elephants to forage for food, walk around obstacles and scratch themselves as they would in the wild has changed all that.
Even the zoo’s third elephant, Reba, who once killed a circus trainer, is calming down, though she’s not yet able to join the others in the habitat.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=53248
What would it be like to live to 175?
WHO, WHAT, WHY?
The Magazine answers...
A tortoise reputedly collected from the Galapagos islands by Charles Darwin has turned 175. What if humans lived that long?
Harriet the giant tortoise has celebrated her 175th birthday and is now probably the world's oldest living creature. Her longevity has been put down to lifestyle and genes, and her keepers at Australia Zoo in Queensland say she could reach 200.
"She's not under any pressure, she goes at her own steady pace, doesn't burn up any energy and is loved by everybody," says a zoo spokesman.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4442020.stm
A place where elephants could just be elephants
Activists promote the idea of a vast preserve to establish a self-sustaining herd. Some zoo officials are skeptical.
By Julie Stoiber
Inquirer Staff Writer
Watching elephants in the wild is an experience so powerful that wildlife author Douglas H. Chadwick describes it as "a whole different level of being alive."
It's an experience most of us won't have, though, since elephants' natural habitats are far away, in Africa and Asia.
And so we visit zoos, many of which are rethinking exactly how the world's largest land mammals should be shown. Last month, for example, the Philadelphia Zoo announced that it did not have the money to build a new savanna for Petal, Dulary, Bette and Kallie, but said it hoped someday to replace the quarter-acre elephant exhibit and 1,800-square-foot barn.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/philadelphia_county/philadelphia/13177417.htm
Three Liger Cubs Born in Russian Zoo
Created: 14.11.2005 12:09 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 12:09 MSK
Three liger cubs have been born in the Novosibirsk Zoo to unusual parents: an African lion and a Bengalese tigress, the zoo’s director Rostislav Shilo told RIA Novosti Monday. The cubs are called ligers, a term derived from their parents’ species, lion and tiger.
The cubs were born as a result of a genuine attachment between the lion and the tigress who have been kept in neighboring cages since childhood. Such a cross would be impossible in a natural environment, since tigers and lions only mate with their kin.
The litter is the couple’s second, the zoo director added. In summer 2004 ligress Zita was born in the zoo. Zita is now one year and four months old.
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/11/14/ligercubs.shtml
A guide to celebrations of all kinds for children
01:38 PM EST on Sunday, November 13, 2005
Compiled by JANINA FERA
The options for children's birthday parties at home or away continue to grow with each edition of our annual Children's Birthday Party Guide.
Today's 2006 guide features almost 200 party options, divided into two sections. The first is a list of places where you can have a child's party; this year we pulled the bowling parties and swimming pool parties into their own sections at the end of this list. The second is a list of entertainers you can hire and games you can rent for a party at home or other location.
This information was received in response to requests for information about birthday parties in LIFEstyles and in Lifebeat; we also sent letters to those who appeared in last year's guide.
After talking to these party folks, we emphasize that you have to plan ahead: To be safe, contact the company or performer at least four weeks before your target date.
Party on!
http://www.projo.com/yourlife/content/projo_20051113_birthday.2145f71.html
Siberia tigers as gifts to S. Korea
Winny Wang
2005-11-15 Beijing Time
CHINA will send South Korea two Siberia tigers as national gifts on Thursday, Harbin Daily reported today.
The 3- and 4-years-old tigers, whose names are "Yuanyuan" and "Xinji," were shipped from the Siberia Tiger Park in Harbin yesterday to Beijing by trunk. Park employees spent 2 hours to let the strong tigers go into cages because they seemed to be reluctant to leave their hometown.
After a series of check, they will take a plane to South Korea on Thursday afternoon.
They will live in a state-owned zoo near Seoul, the report said. Korean staff said they had purchased foods for them, and the beef they will eat cost 160 yuan (US$19.80) per kilogram.
The wild Siberian tiger, largely indigenous to the Russian Far East, northeastern China and the Korean Peninsula, is listed as one of the world's most endangered wildlife species. No more than 400 are believed alive.
Fewer than 20 wild Siberian tigers are believed to be in China — mainly in the mountains of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. The government's Forestry Administration placed all breeds of tigers under "key state protection" in 2001.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2005/11/15/213671/Siberia_tigers_as_gifts_to_S__Korea.htm
This was January 2005.
Unbearable thaw grips Russian zoo
Leningrad Zoo's brown bear may have a really sore head
Temperatures in north-west Russia are so mild this week that they are disrupting bears' sleep in St Petersburg's zoo, local media say.
A zoo official told Interfax news agency that a black bear had woken from hibernation, while a brown bear had still not gone to sleep for the winter.
Temperatures have reached record highs of seven degrees celsius in some areas.
The unusual warmth, accompanied by heavy winds and rain, has melted river ice and caused flooding in the city.
Storms have been causing havoc across Northern Europe in recent days, and were described as the worst to hit the neighbouring Baltic states in 40 years.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4169565.stm
continued …
Morning Papers - continued ...
The New York Times
Torture Alleged at Ministry Site Outside Baghdad
By JOHN F. BURNS
Published: November 16, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 16 - Iraq's government said Tuesday that it had ordered an urgent investigation of allegations that many of the 173 detainees American troops discovered over the weekend in the basement of an Interior Ministry building in a Baghdad suburb had been tortured by their Iraqi captors. A senior Iraqi official who visited the detainees said two appeared paralyzed and others had some of the skin peeled off their bodies by their abusers.
Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari held a hurriedly organized news conference to announce the official inquiry. He also said there would be a second investigation, including a comprehensive count of the thousands held in Iraqi jails, to determine whether there was a wider pattern of abuse, as many opponents of his government have claimed. He said the detainees had been moved to another location and had been given all necessary medical care.
A joint statement by the American Embassy and the United States military command called the situation "totally unacceptable" and said American officials "agree with Iraq's leaders that mistreatment of detainees will not be tolerated."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/international/middleeast/16cnd-Iraq.html?hp&ex=1132203600&en=9c4c4a48543e33a0&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Names of the Dead
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: November 16, 2005
The Department of Defense has identified 2,061 American service members who have died since the start of the Iraq war. It confirmed the deaths of the following Americans yesterday:
MENDEZ RUIZ, David A., 20, Lance Cpl., Marines; Cleveland; First Marine Division.
SWAIM, Daniel F., 19, Lance Cpl., Marines; Yadkinville, N.C.; Second Marine Division.
ZUBOWSKI, Scott A., 20, Lance Cpl., Marines; Manchester, Ind.; First Marine Division.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/national/16list.html
5 Marines Killed as U.S. Pushes Sweep in Western Iraq
By KIRK SEMPLE
Published: November 16, 2005
UBAYDI, Iraq, Nov 16 - Five Marines were killed and 11 were wounded this morning while they searched a house on the outskirts of this town in western Anbar Province, officials said. It was the deadliest day for American troops since beginning a wide sweep of several towns along the Euphrates River near the Syrian border on Nov. 5.
According to several Marines who were briefed on the events, a squad had just entered a farmhouse in northern Ubaydi when a huge explosion occurred, possibly caused by a booby-trapped homemade bomb that insurgents had planted. According to a Marine officer who spoke with survivors, the squad was then attacked with small arms fire and grenades by insurgents hiding in the house.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/international/middleeast/16cnd-marines.html
Kerik Is Accused of Abusing Post as City Official
By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM
Published: November 16, 2005
New Jersey officials said yesterday that Bernard B. Kerik abused his position as New York City correction commissioner in the late 1990's by accepting tens of thousands of dollars from a construction company that he was helping to pursue business with the city. They say the company has long had ties to organized crime.
Bernard B. Kerik in December 2004, when he withdrew his nomination as homeland security secretary.
The accusations against Mr. Kerik, who had to withdraw his nomination as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security last year, are in court papers filed by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement.
The agency is seeking to keep the construction company, Interstate Industrial Corporation, from doing work on Atlantic City casinos and became interested in Mr. Kerik's role with the company when the ties were disclosed after his nomination failed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/nyregion/16kerik.html?hp&ex=1132203600&en=afdfb45071498610&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Tornadoes Barrel Across Midwest and Southeast
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 16, 2005
Filed at 10:37 a.m. ET
MADISONVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Nearly three dozen tornadoes ripped through the Midwest, part of a huge line of thunderstorms that destroyed homes and killed at least two people.
Sam Ellsworth/The Messenger-Inquirer, via Associated Press
Tornadoes barreled across the Midwest and portions of the Southeast on Tuesday, knocking out electricity and damaging buildings in Kentucky and several other states.
''We heard a weird sound coming through, kind of a whistle,'' said Penny Leonard, 37, who sought shelter in the basement of a hospital Tuesday in the western Kentucky town of Madisonville. ''I thank God I'm safe.''
Meteorologists said a cold front moving rapidly east collided with warm, unstable air from the south on Tuesday to produce the thunderstorms that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes, spawning funnel clouds and tornadoes in parts of Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee.
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center had preliminary reports of at least 35 tornadoes in the five states, spokeswoman Peggy Stogsdill said Wednesday at the center in Norman, Okla.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Severe-Weather.html?hp&ex=1132203600&en=f0d214c38f7ec89c&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Above the Arctic Circle, Answering the Call of the Wild
Vincent Laforet/The New York Times
A dog sled above the Arctic Circle on the King's Trail in the north of Sweden.
By NATHANIEL VINTON
Published: November 13, 2005
WE were skiing along the edge of a frozen lake, deep in the snowy mountains of northern Sweden, fueled by coffee and swaddled in high-tech fabrics, when we saw our first reindeer. A stampeding herd came over a ridge and rushed down toward us. Behind them a herdsman chased on a snowmobile, his battered machine kicking up a glittering cloud of Arctic snow.
The huts are surrounded by a woodshed, an outhouse and a caretaker's hut.
It was hard to tell, in this treeless expanse, how far away he was. Far enough that we couldn't hear a motor.
Good thing. We were on a weeklong retreat from interior combustion, and all its attendant anxieties. Trekking from hut to hut across the legendary King's Trail, the only link between our group of 12 and the fume-filled 21st-century world was an emergency radio stashed somewhere in the dog sleds that carried our supplies. As we watched, the herdsman piloted himself around the animals and turned suddenly into their path. To avoid him, a hundred reindeer banked in synchronicity like a school of fish, and a brilliant flash of sunlight caught in their golden hides.
It turns out that in this part of the world even the four-legged animals are blond.
The vast highlands north of the Arctic Circle in Norway and Sweden are sometimes called Europe's last remaining wilderness. Across much of this lonesome landscape, mankind's only trace is a network of cross-country skiing trails.
http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/travel/13kings.html
Skiing the King's Trail
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/travel/20051113_TRAIL_FEATURE/blocker.html
Serving Essence of Pumpkin, Instead of the Annual Pie
By JULIA MOSKIN
Published: November 16, 2005
It may be Thanksgiving, but to make pumpkin pie is a relatively thankless task. Always invited but often ignored, most pumpkin pies are too heavy to enjoy after a large dinner. Yet the meal is somehow incomplete without it.
Puff pastry envelops tart grated Granny Smith apples.
"It's as if there is a need to look at a pumpkin pie, and then everyone goes for the other desserts," said Laurel Gilson, a nurse in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Sometimes it's kinder to break up the union of pumpkin and pie. An ethereal custard covered with crunchy cookie crumbs and spicy-sweet ginger plays the pumpkin role with more grace. Traditional pumpkin-pie spices like cinnamon and nutmeg can be used or not, according to the impeccable taste of the cook.
Performing in the role of pie, crisp little turnovers can be made by folding puff pastry around grated apples, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and baked. Bake them just before dessert to give the house the smell of buttery pie crust. Mince pie loyalists can subtract half the apple in the recipe and add raisins instead. For a more luxurious finish, dip warm turnovers into sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/dining/16bake.html
The Moscow Times
Kiriyenko Tapped to Run RosAtom
By Anatoly Medetsky
Staff Writer Itar-Tass
Sergei Kiriyenko
The day after he lost his job as a presidential envoy, Sergei Kiriyenko was named the new head of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday in a move seen as an effort to make the agency more commercially viable.
Kiriyenko, 43, replaces Alexander Rumyantsev, 60, who had held the position since 2001. The appointment was made by Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and announced by Sergei Naryshkin, the Cabinet chief of staff.
Industry experts said Kiriyenko, a former prime minister who has broad experience in business and government, could steer the agency toward greater profits from technology exports, imports of spent nuclear fuel and electricity sales.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/001.html
Sobyanin Touted as Kremlin Wild Card
By Valeria Korchagina
Staff Writer
President Vladimir Putin's new chief of staff, Sergei Sobyanin, was being touted on Tuesday as a wild card who could help reduce tensions between powerful clans in the Kremlin -- and potentially get stalled reforms moving again.
But where Sobyanin, the 47-year-old Tyumen governor, will likely stand in the rivalry between the siloviki and the liberals within the presidential administration will become clear only over time, analysts said.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/002.html
Supreme Court Bans Bolsheviks
By Nabi Abdullaev
Staff Writer Mikhail Fomichev / Itar-Tass
Eduard Limonov, leader of the radical National Bolshevik Party, on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday re-imposed a ban on the radical National Bolshevik Party, or NBP, reversing its own decision earlier this year to cancel a ban imposed by a lower court.
"This was a historic humiliation for the Supreme Court," NBP leader Eduard Limonov said after the verdict. "Big players such as the Prosecutor General's Office intervened and pressed the judges to discard their previous verdict."
The court did not publish any reason for Tuesday's decision, and no one answered the telephone at the Supreme Court's press office on Tuesday afternoon.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/011.html
Putin Laments Crashes
The Associated Press
President Vladimir Putin lamented the high rate of traffic accidents in Russia, saying Tuesday that the loss of life was a threat to the country's economic potential. Last year, nearly 35,000 people died in vehicle crashes, he said.
"The largest part of the population dying are the able-bodied. These are absolutely irrecoverable losses," he said in televised comments. "It undermines the potential of Russian society."
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/017.html
Switzerland to return arrested paintings to Russia
RIA NOVOSTI. November 16, 2005, 8:10 PM
GENEVA, November 16 (RIA Novosti) - The Swiss government has given its permission for the arrested paintings from the Moscow-based Pushkin Fine Arts Museum to be returned to Russia, the Russian embassy said Wednesday.
"In fact, the Swiss government has lifted the arrest but has not forwarded written permission to the Russian embassy. We are expecting this in an hour," an embassy official said.
The Swiss government held a special session to discuss the arrest of the $1-billion artwork collection. It was seized earlier on Wednesday at the request of Swiss trading company Noga as part of a long-standing legal dispute with the Russian government over contractual obligations.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/doc/HotNews.html
Poland: Ban Costs $1M Daily
By Anna Smolchenko
Staff Writer Mikhail Metzel / AP
Foreign Minister Meller arriving at Ekho Moskvy for an interview on Tuesday.
Poland said Tuesday that Russia's ban on food imports was costing its agricultural industry $1 million per day in lost revenues, as Polish Foreign Minister Stefan Meller slammed Russian authorities for imposing the ban so indiscriminately.
Conceding that some Polish products enter the country illegally, Meller said in a radio interview he objected to how Russia imposed a sweeping ban on meat and vegetable products in just a few days.
"It is a bit stunning that there is such a sweeping reaction because of a few dishonest exporters," Meller told Ekho Moskvy radio, admitting some exports do enter the country on forged documents.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/041.html
Russian Monks Cater to Presidential Tastes
By Conor Humphries
Staff Writer
Vladimir Filonov / MT
One of 20 bottles of wine specially produced for Putin's visit to an ancient Russian monastery in Greece this year.
At an international wine fair in Moscow last month, one bottle was not for sale.
The bottle -- one of 20 presented to President Vladimir Putin by monks from an ancient Russian monastery in Greece in September -- was kept under close watch by nervous representatives of the Greek trade delegation.
"Do you want to find me at the bottom of the Moscow River?" said an official at the Greek stand when asked if the dry red in question was on the market.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/048.html
Disabled Students Spend a Year in U.S.
By Alastair Gee
Special to The Moscow Times
Vladimir Filonov / MT
FLEX alumnus Anatoly Popko speaking with coordinator Mary Shea in her office near the Oktyabrskaya metro station.
In a classroom decorated with classical Greek busts and flowering potted plants, in a school for children with disabilities near Pushkinskaya metro station, 17 teenagers from across the Moscow region took an exam last Tuesday that could change their lives.
American-accented voices recorded on a tape gave four descriptions of pictures in the students' booklets, from which they had to choose the most appropriate. They were being tested on their competency in English and later had to write essays. The group, all with spinal disabilities, were competing for the chance to spend a year in the United States on the FLEX program.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/015.html
The Times Picayune
THREE DECADES WORTH OF TRASH
New Orleans area struggles with what Katrina left behind
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
By Bruce Hamilton
Staff writer
Tuesday was garbage day on Ponce de Leon Street, but for the second time in two weeks, the trucks bypassed the pile of 30-gallon trash bags that block part of the street in front of Gary Parky's house near the Fair Grounds.
In fact, the trucks haven't stopped in the neighborhood in at least three weeks, Parky said, even though 23 stinking refrigerators and huge piles of debris line the streets.
"We're trying to do the right thing and move back into the city," said Parky, who returned to his flooded property three weeks ago after cleaning out the first floor of his two-story house. "But the work is not getting done. Why would you want to live here when it's like this?"
Among the many crises caused by Katrina, cleanup may be the most enduring. Long after evacuees have resettled, political dust-ups have died down and the region has rebounded, the landscape will be littered with towering heaps of trash.
According to state estimates, the hurricane created 22 million tons of debris in southeast Louisiana, more than half of that in the New Orleans area. That includes debris from more than 160,000 homes, but it does not include about 350,000 vehicles and 35,000 recreational fishing boats that were damaged by floodwaters.
The unprecedented volume of waste, generated in the space of several hours, is equivalent to decades worth of the city's normal output, and it will take years to clear away. The monumental task raises a daunting question: Where will it all go?
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1132122546309620.xml
Ex-levee official returns back pay
Huey's settlement deemed against law
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
By Frank Donze
Staff writer
Former Orleans Levee Board President Jim Huey has refunded his after-taxes share of a controversial, $91,000-plus back pay settlement that Attorney General Charles Foti recently branded a clear violation of state law.
Acting Levee Board President Mike McCrossen said Huey, who resigned under fire last month, handed over a check for $57,760.27 Monday.
Huey's decision to return the money came less than three weeks after Foti issued a legal opinion labeling the salary transaction illegal. Foti's Oct. 27 opinion came in response to a request by state Inspector General Sharon Robinson, who is conducting an investigation into Huey's unilateral decision in July to pay himself the back salary.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1132124244309620.xml
Entergy expands utility work forces
Council: Power fixes need to speed up
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
By Keith Darcé
Staff writer
With pressure building to repower New Orleans more quickly, Entergy New Orleans is more than doubling the number of workers repairing the city's hurricane-damaged electrical grid, the utility's chief executive said Tuesday.
The company, which supplies electricity and natural gas services to homes and businesses in the city, also will boost its gas line repair crew by 35 percent, said Dan Packer, chief executive officer of Entergy New Orleans.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1132122727309620.xml
Parish fears flooding by clogged waterways
Crews are clearing debris, but federal help is needed
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
By Charlie Chapple
St. Tammany bureau
Fearing winter and spring rains could trigger disastrous flooding, St. Tammany Parish officials have assigned public works crews to remove debris and trees toppled by Katrina from sections of key drainage arteries throughout the parish.
But unless the parish gets federal help to unclog the dozens of rivers, bayous, canals and streams, residents will face the serious threat of floods during heavy rains, Parish President Kevin Davis said.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1132123274309620.xml
Angry residents pack meeting
Questions bombard Kenner, FEMA officials
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
By Mary Swerczek
Kenner bureau
At the first meeting of the University City subdivision since Hurricane Katrina flooded most of the neighborhood, residents packed Kenner's City Park pavilion Tuesday to yell at Kenner and federal officials.
More than 250 people showed up, many standing in back and some even standing outside watching through windows.
The meeting dissolved into anarchy at points, with residents yelling their questions as loud as they could while others screamed over them or yelled at them to be quiet so FEMA officials could be heard.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1132124528309620.xml
New York jazz auction to help stranded New Orleans musicians
11/16/2005, 10:42 a.m. CT
By VERENA DOBNIK
The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Terrell Batiste has no idea where his grandmother is — or even if she's alive — more than two months after Hurricane Katrina.
All the 21-year-old trumpeter has now is a temporary home, a donated horn and a chance to eke out a living by playing New Orleans music in other parts of America.
On Wednesday night, the Jazz Foundation of America is holding an auction to help Batiste and hundreds of other hurricane-displaced musicians with food, clothes, housing and jobs.
Among those playing at the fund-raiser will be 95-year-old tenor saxophonist Max Lucas, who once performed with Louis Armstrong, and 91-year-old alto saxophonist Fred Staton, who played with Art Blakey, Count Basie and Billy Strayhorn.
On the auction block are more than 50 jazz treasures ranging from Miles Davis's boa constrictor snakeskin jacket to the Boesendorfer grand piano from Manhattan's Blue Note club.
http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louisiana/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1132159746167210.xml&storylist=louisiana
Flights reappear out of thin air
Recovery pushing scheduled trips to 33% of normal
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
By Matt Scallan
Kenner bureau
The skies are becoming a little friendlier for travelers who use Louis Armstrong International Airport, as the number of scheduled flights this week approaches one-third the airport's pre-Katrina levels of 166 flights into the city.
There were 53 flights on Monday. By Dec. 15, the airlines have scheduled 60 flights into the city. That's way up from 19 on Sept. 21. Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29.
http://www.nola.com/business/t-p/index.ssf?/base/money-0/1132122867309620.xml
U.K. says white phosphorous used for smoke
11/16/2005, 11:07 a.m. CT
BY ED JOHNSON
The Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — The British military uses white phosphorous in Iraq but only to lay smoke screens, the government said Wednesday, after allegations that U.S. troops used the incendiary weapon against civilians during the battle of Fallujah last year.
White phosphorous, in a form used by the military, ignites when it is exposed to oxygen, producing such heat that it bursts into a yellow flame and produces a dense white smoke. It is used to mask troop movements and to light up a battlefield but also can cause painful burn injuries to exposed human flesh.
http://www.nola.com/newsflash/iraq/index.ssf?/base/international-15/113214747147820.xml&storylist=iraq
Dutch system of flood control an engineering marvel
Sunday, November 13 2005
By John McQuaid
Staff writer
TER HEIJDE, NETHERLANDS -The North Sea's furious winters can kick up storm surges more than 13 feet high - a lethal threat to a country where millions live below sea level, some as much as 22 feet down. And the Dutch have devised a peerless system of flood defenses - one of the world's engineering marvels - to keep that water out.
Giant barriers straddle ocean inlets, their gates poised to slam shut to repel the invading sea. Massive earthen dams run for miles, blocking off vast areas once open to the North Sea, now converted to freshwater lakes and new living space.
http://www.nola.com/speced/ruinandrecovery/t-p/index.ssf?/speced/ruinandrecovery/articles/dutch13.html
Haaretz
Abbas meets Shalom in Tunis, praises Gaza deal
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent, and Reuters
TUNIS - Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas held two rounds of talks with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Wednesday at a United Nations technology summit in Tunisia, during which Abbas praised the newly agreed deal to reopen the Gaza border with Egypt.
This is the highest-level contact between the two sides in months, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
The first meeting between the two was by chance. "It was an unscheduled meeting. They met by accident," an Israeli official said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/645797.html
Sources: EU monitors to take 'active role' at Gaza border
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent, and Agencies
The agreement on the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt calls for European Union observer forces to take an "active role" at the terminal, senior sources in Jerusalem said Wednesday, hours after the deal was finalized.
The sources said it will be the EU's duty to enforce the agreement, and that they will be given the authority to do so.
The agreement brokered by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice states that the terminal will be under the control of the PA and Egypt, with each party patrolling its own side of the border.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/646355.html
IDF troops arrest Palestinian youth carrying explosive belt at Nablus checkpoint
By Nir Hasson, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Israel Defense Forces soldiers arrested a Palestinian youth carrying an explosive belt at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday afternoon, Israel Radio reported.
The youth was attempting to pass through the Hawara checkpoint in the direction of Nablus. A Military Police officer at the checkpoint asked him to open his bag and found a bolt of fabric. Soldiers passed the bag through a metal detector and called for bomb disposal unit when the device beeped.
Sappers found at least six small, separate explosive devices connected together in a belt. The bombs were safely detonated in a controlled explosion.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/645873.html
Singapore National Library removes Arafat's image from terror exhibit
By The Associated Press
SINGAPORE - Singapore's National Library said Wednesday it has removed an image of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from its new terrorism exhibition after complaints from the public.
Arafat's picture was used in a montage of 24 faces to "attract visitors to the exhibits," Kwa Chong Guan, a consultant to the government-backed terrorism exhibition at the National Library, explained in a letter published in The Straits Times newspaper.
"We received feedback from visitors that if one looked at the montage without looking at the exhibition in totality, the faces displayed were open to many different interpretations," he said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/646215.html
Israel to ask American Jewish communities to finance its foreign aid projects
By Shlomo Shamir
Israel is trying to persuade Jewish federations and communities in the Unites States to finance Israeli aid programs in foreign countries, Haaretz has learned.
The first initiative of this sort will be presented today at the United Jewish Communities (UJC) General Assembly taking place in Toronto.
Israel's Consul General in New York, Arye Mekel, will propose to the UJC that it become an active partner in the Foreign Ministry's projects in developing and poor countries.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=645394&contrassID=19
continued ...
Torture Alleged at Ministry Site Outside Baghdad
By JOHN F. BURNS
Published: November 16, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 16 - Iraq's government said Tuesday that it had ordered an urgent investigation of allegations that many of the 173 detainees American troops discovered over the weekend in the basement of an Interior Ministry building in a Baghdad suburb had been tortured by their Iraqi captors. A senior Iraqi official who visited the detainees said two appeared paralyzed and others had some of the skin peeled off their bodies by their abusers.
Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari held a hurriedly organized news conference to announce the official inquiry. He also said there would be a second investigation, including a comprehensive count of the thousands held in Iraqi jails, to determine whether there was a wider pattern of abuse, as many opponents of his government have claimed. He said the detainees had been moved to another location and had been given all necessary medical care.
A joint statement by the American Embassy and the United States military command called the situation "totally unacceptable" and said American officials "agree with Iraq's leaders that mistreatment of detainees will not be tolerated."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/international/middleeast/16cnd-Iraq.html?hp&ex=1132203600&en=9c4c4a48543e33a0&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Names of the Dead
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: November 16, 2005
The Department of Defense has identified 2,061 American service members who have died since the start of the Iraq war. It confirmed the deaths of the following Americans yesterday:
MENDEZ RUIZ, David A., 20, Lance Cpl., Marines; Cleveland; First Marine Division.
SWAIM, Daniel F., 19, Lance Cpl., Marines; Yadkinville, N.C.; Second Marine Division.
ZUBOWSKI, Scott A., 20, Lance Cpl., Marines; Manchester, Ind.; First Marine Division.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/national/16list.html
5 Marines Killed as U.S. Pushes Sweep in Western Iraq
By KIRK SEMPLE
Published: November 16, 2005
UBAYDI, Iraq, Nov 16 - Five Marines were killed and 11 were wounded this morning while they searched a house on the outskirts of this town in western Anbar Province, officials said. It was the deadliest day for American troops since beginning a wide sweep of several towns along the Euphrates River near the Syrian border on Nov. 5.
According to several Marines who were briefed on the events, a squad had just entered a farmhouse in northern Ubaydi when a huge explosion occurred, possibly caused by a booby-trapped homemade bomb that insurgents had planted. According to a Marine officer who spoke with survivors, the squad was then attacked with small arms fire and grenades by insurgents hiding in the house.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/international/middleeast/16cnd-marines.html
Kerik Is Accused of Abusing Post as City Official
By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM
Published: November 16, 2005
New Jersey officials said yesterday that Bernard B. Kerik abused his position as New York City correction commissioner in the late 1990's by accepting tens of thousands of dollars from a construction company that he was helping to pursue business with the city. They say the company has long had ties to organized crime.
Bernard B. Kerik in December 2004, when he withdrew his nomination as homeland security secretary.
The accusations against Mr. Kerik, who had to withdraw his nomination as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security last year, are in court papers filed by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement.
The agency is seeking to keep the construction company, Interstate Industrial Corporation, from doing work on Atlantic City casinos and became interested in Mr. Kerik's role with the company when the ties were disclosed after his nomination failed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/nyregion/16kerik.html?hp&ex=1132203600&en=afdfb45071498610&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Tornadoes Barrel Across Midwest and Southeast
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 16, 2005
Filed at 10:37 a.m. ET
MADISONVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Nearly three dozen tornadoes ripped through the Midwest, part of a huge line of thunderstorms that destroyed homes and killed at least two people.
Sam Ellsworth/The Messenger-Inquirer, via Associated Press
Tornadoes barreled across the Midwest and portions of the Southeast on Tuesday, knocking out electricity and damaging buildings in Kentucky and several other states.
''We heard a weird sound coming through, kind of a whistle,'' said Penny Leonard, 37, who sought shelter in the basement of a hospital Tuesday in the western Kentucky town of Madisonville. ''I thank God I'm safe.''
Meteorologists said a cold front moving rapidly east collided with warm, unstable air from the south on Tuesday to produce the thunderstorms that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes, spawning funnel clouds and tornadoes in parts of Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee.
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center had preliminary reports of at least 35 tornadoes in the five states, spokeswoman Peggy Stogsdill said Wednesday at the center in Norman, Okla.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Severe-Weather.html?hp&ex=1132203600&en=f0d214c38f7ec89c&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Above the Arctic Circle, Answering the Call of the Wild
Vincent Laforet/The New York Times
A dog sled above the Arctic Circle on the King's Trail in the north of Sweden.
By NATHANIEL VINTON
Published: November 13, 2005
WE were skiing along the edge of a frozen lake, deep in the snowy mountains of northern Sweden, fueled by coffee and swaddled in high-tech fabrics, when we saw our first reindeer. A stampeding herd came over a ridge and rushed down toward us. Behind them a herdsman chased on a snowmobile, his battered machine kicking up a glittering cloud of Arctic snow.
The huts are surrounded by a woodshed, an outhouse and a caretaker's hut.
It was hard to tell, in this treeless expanse, how far away he was. Far enough that we couldn't hear a motor.
Good thing. We were on a weeklong retreat from interior combustion, and all its attendant anxieties. Trekking from hut to hut across the legendary King's Trail, the only link between our group of 12 and the fume-filled 21st-century world was an emergency radio stashed somewhere in the dog sleds that carried our supplies. As we watched, the herdsman piloted himself around the animals and turned suddenly into their path. To avoid him, a hundred reindeer banked in synchronicity like a school of fish, and a brilliant flash of sunlight caught in their golden hides.
It turns out that in this part of the world even the four-legged animals are blond.
The vast highlands north of the Arctic Circle in Norway and Sweden are sometimes called Europe's last remaining wilderness. Across much of this lonesome landscape, mankind's only trace is a network of cross-country skiing trails.
http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/travel/13kings.html
Skiing the King's Trail
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/travel/20051113_TRAIL_FEATURE/blocker.html
Serving Essence of Pumpkin, Instead of the Annual Pie
By JULIA MOSKIN
Published: November 16, 2005
It may be Thanksgiving, but to make pumpkin pie is a relatively thankless task. Always invited but often ignored, most pumpkin pies are too heavy to enjoy after a large dinner. Yet the meal is somehow incomplete without it.
Puff pastry envelops tart grated Granny Smith apples.
"It's as if there is a need to look at a pumpkin pie, and then everyone goes for the other desserts," said Laurel Gilson, a nurse in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Sometimes it's kinder to break up the union of pumpkin and pie. An ethereal custard covered with crunchy cookie crumbs and spicy-sweet ginger plays the pumpkin role with more grace. Traditional pumpkin-pie spices like cinnamon and nutmeg can be used or not, according to the impeccable taste of the cook.
Performing in the role of pie, crisp little turnovers can be made by folding puff pastry around grated apples, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and baked. Bake them just before dessert to give the house the smell of buttery pie crust. Mince pie loyalists can subtract half the apple in the recipe and add raisins instead. For a more luxurious finish, dip warm turnovers into sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/dining/16bake.html
The Moscow Times
Kiriyenko Tapped to Run RosAtom
By Anatoly Medetsky
Staff Writer Itar-Tass
Sergei Kiriyenko
The day after he lost his job as a presidential envoy, Sergei Kiriyenko was named the new head of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday in a move seen as an effort to make the agency more commercially viable.
Kiriyenko, 43, replaces Alexander Rumyantsev, 60, who had held the position since 2001. The appointment was made by Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and announced by Sergei Naryshkin, the Cabinet chief of staff.
Industry experts said Kiriyenko, a former prime minister who has broad experience in business and government, could steer the agency toward greater profits from technology exports, imports of spent nuclear fuel and electricity sales.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/001.html
Sobyanin Touted as Kremlin Wild Card
By Valeria Korchagina
Staff Writer
President Vladimir Putin's new chief of staff, Sergei Sobyanin, was being touted on Tuesday as a wild card who could help reduce tensions between powerful clans in the Kremlin -- and potentially get stalled reforms moving again.
But where Sobyanin, the 47-year-old Tyumen governor, will likely stand in the rivalry between the siloviki and the liberals within the presidential administration will become clear only over time, analysts said.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/002.html
Supreme Court Bans Bolsheviks
By Nabi Abdullaev
Staff Writer Mikhail Fomichev / Itar-Tass
Eduard Limonov, leader of the radical National Bolshevik Party, on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday re-imposed a ban on the radical National Bolshevik Party, or NBP, reversing its own decision earlier this year to cancel a ban imposed by a lower court.
"This was a historic humiliation for the Supreme Court," NBP leader Eduard Limonov said after the verdict. "Big players such as the Prosecutor General's Office intervened and pressed the judges to discard their previous verdict."
The court did not publish any reason for Tuesday's decision, and no one answered the telephone at the Supreme Court's press office on Tuesday afternoon.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/011.html
Putin Laments Crashes
The Associated Press
President Vladimir Putin lamented the high rate of traffic accidents in Russia, saying Tuesday that the loss of life was a threat to the country's economic potential. Last year, nearly 35,000 people died in vehicle crashes, he said.
"The largest part of the population dying are the able-bodied. These are absolutely irrecoverable losses," he said in televised comments. "It undermines the potential of Russian society."
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/017.html
Switzerland to return arrested paintings to Russia
RIA NOVOSTI. November 16, 2005, 8:10 PM
GENEVA, November 16 (RIA Novosti) - The Swiss government has given its permission for the arrested paintings from the Moscow-based Pushkin Fine Arts Museum to be returned to Russia, the Russian embassy said Wednesday.
"In fact, the Swiss government has lifted the arrest but has not forwarded written permission to the Russian embassy. We are expecting this in an hour," an embassy official said.
The Swiss government held a special session to discuss the arrest of the $1-billion artwork collection. It was seized earlier on Wednesday at the request of Swiss trading company Noga as part of a long-standing legal dispute with the Russian government over contractual obligations.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/doc/HotNews.html
Poland: Ban Costs $1M Daily
By Anna Smolchenko
Staff Writer Mikhail Metzel / AP
Foreign Minister Meller arriving at Ekho Moskvy for an interview on Tuesday.
Poland said Tuesday that Russia's ban on food imports was costing its agricultural industry $1 million per day in lost revenues, as Polish Foreign Minister Stefan Meller slammed Russian authorities for imposing the ban so indiscriminately.
Conceding that some Polish products enter the country illegally, Meller said in a radio interview he objected to how Russia imposed a sweeping ban on meat and vegetable products in just a few days.
"It is a bit stunning that there is such a sweeping reaction because of a few dishonest exporters," Meller told Ekho Moskvy radio, admitting some exports do enter the country on forged documents.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/041.html
Russian Monks Cater to Presidential Tastes
By Conor Humphries
Staff Writer
Vladimir Filonov / MT
One of 20 bottles of wine specially produced for Putin's visit to an ancient Russian monastery in Greece this year.
At an international wine fair in Moscow last month, one bottle was not for sale.
The bottle -- one of 20 presented to President Vladimir Putin by monks from an ancient Russian monastery in Greece in September -- was kept under close watch by nervous representatives of the Greek trade delegation.
"Do you want to find me at the bottom of the Moscow River?" said an official at the Greek stand when asked if the dry red in question was on the market.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/048.html
Disabled Students Spend a Year in U.S.
By Alastair Gee
Special to The Moscow Times
Vladimir Filonov / MT
FLEX alumnus Anatoly Popko speaking with coordinator Mary Shea in her office near the Oktyabrskaya metro station.
In a classroom decorated with classical Greek busts and flowering potted plants, in a school for children with disabilities near Pushkinskaya metro station, 17 teenagers from across the Moscow region took an exam last Tuesday that could change their lives.
American-accented voices recorded on a tape gave four descriptions of pictures in the students' booklets, from which they had to choose the most appropriate. They were being tested on their competency in English and later had to write essays. The group, all with spinal disabilities, were competing for the chance to spend a year in the United States on the FLEX program.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/11/16/015.html
The Times Picayune
THREE DECADES WORTH OF TRASH
New Orleans area struggles with what Katrina left behind
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
By Bruce Hamilton
Staff writer
Tuesday was garbage day on Ponce de Leon Street, but for the second time in two weeks, the trucks bypassed the pile of 30-gallon trash bags that block part of the street in front of Gary Parky's house near the Fair Grounds.
In fact, the trucks haven't stopped in the neighborhood in at least three weeks, Parky said, even though 23 stinking refrigerators and huge piles of debris line the streets.
"We're trying to do the right thing and move back into the city," said Parky, who returned to his flooded property three weeks ago after cleaning out the first floor of his two-story house. "But the work is not getting done. Why would you want to live here when it's like this?"
Among the many crises caused by Katrina, cleanup may be the most enduring. Long after evacuees have resettled, political dust-ups have died down and the region has rebounded, the landscape will be littered with towering heaps of trash.
According to state estimates, the hurricane created 22 million tons of debris in southeast Louisiana, more than half of that in the New Orleans area. That includes debris from more than 160,000 homes, but it does not include about 350,000 vehicles and 35,000 recreational fishing boats that were damaged by floodwaters.
The unprecedented volume of waste, generated in the space of several hours, is equivalent to decades worth of the city's normal output, and it will take years to clear away. The monumental task raises a daunting question: Where will it all go?
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1132122546309620.xml
Ex-levee official returns back pay
Huey's settlement deemed against law
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
By Frank Donze
Staff writer
Former Orleans Levee Board President Jim Huey has refunded his after-taxes share of a controversial, $91,000-plus back pay settlement that Attorney General Charles Foti recently branded a clear violation of state law.
Acting Levee Board President Mike McCrossen said Huey, who resigned under fire last month, handed over a check for $57,760.27 Monday.
Huey's decision to return the money came less than three weeks after Foti issued a legal opinion labeling the salary transaction illegal. Foti's Oct. 27 opinion came in response to a request by state Inspector General Sharon Robinson, who is conducting an investigation into Huey's unilateral decision in July to pay himself the back salary.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1132124244309620.xml
Entergy expands utility work forces
Council: Power fixes need to speed up
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
By Keith Darcé
Staff writer
With pressure building to repower New Orleans more quickly, Entergy New Orleans is more than doubling the number of workers repairing the city's hurricane-damaged electrical grid, the utility's chief executive said Tuesday.
The company, which supplies electricity and natural gas services to homes and businesses in the city, also will boost its gas line repair crew by 35 percent, said Dan Packer, chief executive officer of Entergy New Orleans.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1132122727309620.xml
Parish fears flooding by clogged waterways
Crews are clearing debris, but federal help is needed
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
By Charlie Chapple
St. Tammany bureau
Fearing winter and spring rains could trigger disastrous flooding, St. Tammany Parish officials have assigned public works crews to remove debris and trees toppled by Katrina from sections of key drainage arteries throughout the parish.
But unless the parish gets federal help to unclog the dozens of rivers, bayous, canals and streams, residents will face the serious threat of floods during heavy rains, Parish President Kevin Davis said.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1132123274309620.xml
Angry residents pack meeting
Questions bombard Kenner, FEMA officials
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
By Mary Swerczek
Kenner bureau
At the first meeting of the University City subdivision since Hurricane Katrina flooded most of the neighborhood, residents packed Kenner's City Park pavilion Tuesday to yell at Kenner and federal officials.
More than 250 people showed up, many standing in back and some even standing outside watching through windows.
The meeting dissolved into anarchy at points, with residents yelling their questions as loud as they could while others screamed over them or yelled at them to be quiet so FEMA officials could be heard.
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1132124528309620.xml
New York jazz auction to help stranded New Orleans musicians
11/16/2005, 10:42 a.m. CT
By VERENA DOBNIK
The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Terrell Batiste has no idea where his grandmother is — or even if she's alive — more than two months after Hurricane Katrina.
All the 21-year-old trumpeter has now is a temporary home, a donated horn and a chance to eke out a living by playing New Orleans music in other parts of America.
On Wednesday night, the Jazz Foundation of America is holding an auction to help Batiste and hundreds of other hurricane-displaced musicians with food, clothes, housing and jobs.
Among those playing at the fund-raiser will be 95-year-old tenor saxophonist Max Lucas, who once performed with Louis Armstrong, and 91-year-old alto saxophonist Fred Staton, who played with Art Blakey, Count Basie and Billy Strayhorn.
On the auction block are more than 50 jazz treasures ranging from Miles Davis's boa constrictor snakeskin jacket to the Boesendorfer grand piano from Manhattan's Blue Note club.
http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louisiana/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1132159746167210.xml&storylist=louisiana
Flights reappear out of thin air
Recovery pushing scheduled trips to 33% of normal
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
By Matt Scallan
Kenner bureau
The skies are becoming a little friendlier for travelers who use Louis Armstrong International Airport, as the number of scheduled flights this week approaches one-third the airport's pre-Katrina levels of 166 flights into the city.
There were 53 flights on Monday. By Dec. 15, the airlines have scheduled 60 flights into the city. That's way up from 19 on Sept. 21. Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29.
http://www.nola.com/business/t-p/index.ssf?/base/money-0/1132122867309620.xml
U.K. says white phosphorous used for smoke
11/16/2005, 11:07 a.m. CT
BY ED JOHNSON
The Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — The British military uses white phosphorous in Iraq but only to lay smoke screens, the government said Wednesday, after allegations that U.S. troops used the incendiary weapon against civilians during the battle of Fallujah last year.
White phosphorous, in a form used by the military, ignites when it is exposed to oxygen, producing such heat that it bursts into a yellow flame and produces a dense white smoke. It is used to mask troop movements and to light up a battlefield but also can cause painful burn injuries to exposed human flesh.
http://www.nola.com/newsflash/iraq/index.ssf?/base/international-15/113214747147820.xml&storylist=iraq
Dutch system of flood control an engineering marvel
Sunday, November 13 2005
By John McQuaid
Staff writer
TER HEIJDE, NETHERLANDS -The North Sea's furious winters can kick up storm surges more than 13 feet high - a lethal threat to a country where millions live below sea level, some as much as 22 feet down. And the Dutch have devised a peerless system of flood defenses - one of the world's engineering marvels - to keep that water out.
Giant barriers straddle ocean inlets, their gates poised to slam shut to repel the invading sea. Massive earthen dams run for miles, blocking off vast areas once open to the North Sea, now converted to freshwater lakes and new living space.
http://www.nola.com/speced/ruinandrecovery/t-p/index.ssf?/speced/ruinandrecovery/articles/dutch13.html
Haaretz
Abbas meets Shalom in Tunis, praises Gaza deal
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent, and Reuters
TUNIS - Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas held two rounds of talks with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Wednesday at a United Nations technology summit in Tunisia, during which Abbas praised the newly agreed deal to reopen the Gaza border with Egypt.
This is the highest-level contact between the two sides in months, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
The first meeting between the two was by chance. "It was an unscheduled meeting. They met by accident," an Israeli official said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/645797.html
Sources: EU monitors to take 'active role' at Gaza border
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent, and Agencies
The agreement on the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt calls for European Union observer forces to take an "active role" at the terminal, senior sources in Jerusalem said Wednesday, hours after the deal was finalized.
The sources said it will be the EU's duty to enforce the agreement, and that they will be given the authority to do so.
The agreement brokered by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice states that the terminal will be under the control of the PA and Egypt, with each party patrolling its own side of the border.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/646355.html
IDF troops arrest Palestinian youth carrying explosive belt at Nablus checkpoint
By Nir Hasson, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Israel Defense Forces soldiers arrested a Palestinian youth carrying an explosive belt at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus on Wednesday afternoon, Israel Radio reported.
The youth was attempting to pass through the Hawara checkpoint in the direction of Nablus. A Military Police officer at the checkpoint asked him to open his bag and found a bolt of fabric. Soldiers passed the bag through a metal detector and called for bomb disposal unit when the device beeped.
Sappers found at least six small, separate explosive devices connected together in a belt. The bombs were safely detonated in a controlled explosion.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/645873.html
Singapore National Library removes Arafat's image from terror exhibit
By The Associated Press
SINGAPORE - Singapore's National Library said Wednesday it has removed an image of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from its new terrorism exhibition after complaints from the public.
Arafat's picture was used in a montage of 24 faces to "attract visitors to the exhibits," Kwa Chong Guan, a consultant to the government-backed terrorism exhibition at the National Library, explained in a letter published in The Straits Times newspaper.
"We received feedback from visitors that if one looked at the montage without looking at the exhibition in totality, the faces displayed were open to many different interpretations," he said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/646215.html
Israel to ask American Jewish communities to finance its foreign aid projects
By Shlomo Shamir
Israel is trying to persuade Jewish federations and communities in the Unites States to finance Israeli aid programs in foreign countries, Haaretz has learned.
The first initiative of this sort will be presented today at the United Jewish Communities (UJC) General Assembly taking place in Toronto.
Israel's Consul General in New York, Arye Mekel, will propose to the UJC that it become an active partner in the Foreign Ministry's projects in developing and poor countries.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=645394&contrassID=19
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